apacible@iris.ucdavis.edu (Johnson A.) (02/06/89)
In the article "Computers, Complexity, and Controversy" by Robert Colwell et al, of CMU, there is a picture of a ship on every other page. Would anybody know what that ship is suppose to mean? (Since it is an traditional-looking ship, i was wondering if it stands for CISC, which is the traditional approach to computer system design). Some people are saying that since such ships aren't built anymore, CISC machines would end with the same fate. Johnson the wonderer
colwell@mfci.UUCP (Robert Colwell) (02/06/89)
In article <3617@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> apacible@iris.ucdavis.edu (Johnson A.) writes: > >In the article "Computers, Complexity, and Controversy" by >Robert Colwell et al, of CMU, there is a picture of a >ship on every other page. Would anybody know what that >ship is suppose to mean? (Since it is an traditional-looking >ship, i was wondering if it stands for CISC, which is the >traditional approach to computer system design). Some >people are saying that since such ships aren't built anymore, >CISC machines would end with the same fate. Gee, if that interpretation had occurred to me then, I might have tried to get them to change it, since one of the main points we were trying to make was that the obvious algorithm "1) decide between RISC and CISC, 2) build one of what you decided on" was definitely wrong. So I wouldn't be too happy with the "CISC as big, beautiful, complicated, and completely obsolete" twist. But I've always been fascinated by the old sailing ships (who hasn't built at least one Cutty Sark? I built one once and then put a motor in it -- see, I'm not bound by tradition!) so I kinda liked it and didn't care why they used that metaphor. I also thought that perhaps they were trying to draw an analogy between instruction sets and sets of instructions (which are featured prominently on the cover page). But I can't really think of any compelling analogies there, either. Bob Colwell ..!uunet!mfci!colwell Multiflow Computer or colwell@multiflow.com 175 N. Main St. Branford, CT 06405 203-488-6090
conte@uicsgva.csg.uiuc.edu (02/10/89)
This might have nothing to do with CISC vs. RISC. The CMU
campus is shaped like a boat (aparently Andrew Carnegie liked
ships).
--
Tom Conte Computer Systems Group, Coordinated Science Lab
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
...The opinions expressed are my own, of course.
uucp: ...!uiucdcs!uicsrd!conte internet: conte@bach.csg.uiuc.edu