Xref: utzoo comp.arch:10055 comp.misc:6248
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!malcolm
From: malcolm@Apple.COM (Malcolm Slaney)
Newsgroups: comp.arch,comp.misc
Subject: Re: front ends to crays...
Message-ID: <32216@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 2 Jun 89 22:10:01 GMT
References: <5674@hubcap.clemson.edu>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc, Cupertino, CA
Lines: 22

In article <5674@hubcap.clemson.edu> hubcap@hubcap.clemson.edu (Mike Marshall) writes:
>What would make a good front end for a YMP, and why? We really want to
>make a good choice, and like most organizations, this will be our
>first and only Cray... we don't have any first hand experience on
>what make a really good front end.

Why do you need a front end machine?  (This is comp.arch, after all.)
I think it is time to put the concept of a front end machine to bed.

The only thing that stands between my fingers and our Cray is the generic
Macintosh on my desk (and an Ethernet tied into a Hyperchannel.)  Now that 
Cray supports NFS and the X Window System there is no reason that a Cray 
can't be just another Unix box (although quite a bit faster for numerical 
stuff.)

Of course, not all jobs are economical on a Cray.  I don't really have
any need to read news on the Cray when there are lots of cheaper Unix
boxes lying around.  On the other hand, if I find a bug on the Cray I
want to use the Cray mailer to report it.  Remember, the users come
first.

								Malcolm