Path: utzoo!utgpu!bnr-vpa!bnr-fos!bnr-public!schow
From: schow@bnr-public.uucp (Stanley Chow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: multitasking on wallstreet
Summary: No answer is better than a wrong answer.
Keywords: IBM PC RAM parity
Message-ID: <326@bnr-fos.UUCP>
Date: 8 Mar 89 02:13:33 GMT
References: <1295@csd4.milw.wisc.edu> <503@morgoth.UUCP> <32244@auc.UUCP>
Sender: news@bnr-fos.UUCP
Reply-To: schow@bnr-public.UUCP (Stanley Chow)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 43

In article <32244@auc.UUCP> rar@auc.UUCP (Rodney Ricks) writes:
>Actually, I think that you may be.  Parity checking on the IBM PC has a
>MAJOR problem.  Say the system finds a parity error.  What does it do; how
>does it recover?
>
>Recover, what does recover mean?  If a parity error is found, the system
>puts up an error message:
>
>PARITY ERROR
>
>in large, 40-column text, up at the top left of the screen, AND LOCKS up.
>Great for real-time systems on Wall Street, huh?
>
>Also, from what I've heard, Parity Errors on personal computer RAM chips
>are EXTREMELY rare.  IBM's "solution" seems to just make the problem worse.
>
>Rodney Ricks,   Atlanta University Center Computation Center

The question is very simple, which do you prefer:

   1) not be told about an error and get an answer.
   2) be told about the error but get no answer.

Like almost everything in life, different people have different values
on parity. When I am play a games, I don't care about the graphics having
a bit wrong. I much prefer continuing with the game.

There are many other applications for which machines must be very
reliable. Image preparing a bit on a multi-million dollar contract, if
the wrong bit is flipped, you end up bidding 3 million instead of 7 million.
[I can hear it now: but that means you will almost certainly get the
contract, isn't that good?]

If the computer isn't doing what I told it, I want to know. Coming up
with PARITY ERROR with no recovery is better than a wrong answer.


Stanley Chow    ..!utgpu!bnr-vpa!bnr-fos!schow%bnr-public
		(613) 763-2831


What? Me? Represent anyone? Don't be radiculas, they only pretend to
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