Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!hubcap!eos!eugene
From: eos!eugene@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: comp.parallel
Subject: Re: Commercial Hypercube Systems
Keywords: Ncube, Intel iPSC2, Meiko
Message-ID: <4792@hubcap.UUCP>
Date: 15 Mar 89 18:44:04 GMT
Sender: fpst@hubcap.UUCP
Lines: 40
Approved: parallel@hubcap.clemson.edu

Gary points out some low cost systems.

I would like to point out there are many more companies than this producing
various types of "toy" Hypercubes, most not on the net.  Such companies
include CSA (Computer Systems Architects) in Provo, Utah, Levco in San Diego,
etc.  Many of these people use Transputer and other chip sets.  These
things go into the back of PCs and Macs.  Their software tends to be in
a much worse state, but the real question is whether information learned
on these machines can appropriately scale to the more respectable Cube
makers (frequently not, but...).  It's a matter of pride on the parts of some
Departments (sort of like if your school teaches BASIC or COBOL, or
if you use Apple IIs and IBM PCs in your CS departments).

I am not endorsing the purchase of this hardware only noting that lower cost
things exist.  Yes, its a bit of a lark if you can only afford an 8 or
16 node cube.  You really want much larger scale systems, and most of these
small systems don't have H/W support for virtual processors.  But you will
learn a bit about scaling.  Believe it or not, there are a few rich folk
who go and buy these things for home use.

In the late 1970s, it was the mainframe and mini people who snubbed the
micro computer people.  I only need look out my window to see where we are
now.  I hope the same thing doesn't happen in parallelism. ;-)

When I was growing up the thing to do was build a laser (JHS and HS).
(It was actually Marvin Minsky in a written letter back then convince me not
to.) A couple of years ago, a newly found friend and her husband wanted me to
talk to their HS age son about a project he wanted to do: build a parallel
processor.  Gave me to whole design. (2 MC68Ks, shared memory, the works).
My only comment after listening was, "Have you mother tell you about
operating systems." In the end he didn't do it, but some day, some kid
(probably happening right now) is thinking about building their own Cube
computer for a HS age project.

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov
  resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:
  "Mailers?! HA!", "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology."
  Domains, the zip codes of networks.