karl@sugar.UUCP (Karl Lehenbauer) (07/14/88)
At the Boston Computer Museum, there's a little "shrine" to Seymour Cray, with a quote attributed to Mr. Watson that goes something like 'how can this band of upstarts build a computer, with only 35 people, that runs five times faster than our fastest machine and costs one fifth as much?' There's a movie about it (at the museum), too. Brigham Young University had one and ran it for years and years. In article <4480@medusa.cs.purdue.edu>, sxr@purdue.UUCP writes: > There was no 360 model 97. IBM did introduce a model 90 series of > very high performance 360 systems, at least in part to help it compete > with Control Data. This was the basis of an anti-trust suit by CDC > against IBM. IBM built and delivered a few model 91 systems, and at > least one model 95. Yeah, the 360/90 was the machine that IBM was more or less forced to build. As I understand it, IBM didn't think there was a scientific supercomputer market and was quite surprised when CDC received a bunch of orders for the then-new 6600. Consequently, IBM announced a vaporware product, a high speed scientific supercomputer, the 360/90, causing most 6600 orders to be cancelled, prompting CDC's antitrust suit against IBM. IBM settled out of court with CDC and did finally build the 90, but it was years late and did not achieve its original stated performance. -- -- karl@sugar.uu.net aka uunet!sugar!karl
art@buengc.BU.EDU (A. R. Thompson) (07/16/88)
In article <2308@sugar.UUCP> karl@sugar.UUCP (Karl Lehenbauer) writes: Deleted stuff >Yeah, the 360/90 was the machine that IBM was more or less forced to build. >As I understand it, IBM didn't think there was a scientific supercomputer >market and was quite surprised when CDC received a bunch of orders for When Gene Amdahl first proposed his high speed box idea he was with IBM. They rejected the idea on the grounds you state. He then said he would do it on his own. The brass tried to stop on the grounds they thought he would fail, and they liked him too much to see him go down the tubes. Amdahl tells the story of one of the bigshots putting his arm around him and begging him not to ruin his career. Well, he took the chance and the rest is history. This is a recollection from an article about Amdahl that appeared in one of the trades (I think it was Datamation but can't remember) about eight years ago. >the then-new 6600. Consequently, IBM announced a vaporware product, a high >speed scientific supercomputer, the 360/90, causing most 6600 orders to be >cancelled, prompting CDC's antitrust suit against IBM. IBM settled out of >court with CDC and did finally build the 90, but it was years late and did >not achieve its original stated performance. >-- >-- karl@sugar.uu.net aka uunet!sugar!karl
mat@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Mike Taylor) (07/16/88)
In article <431@buengc.BU.EDU>, art@buengc.BU.EDU (A. R. Thompson) writes: > When Gene Amdahl first proposed his high speed box idea he was with IBM. > They rejected the idea on the grounds you state. He then said he would do > it on his own. The brass tried to stop on the grounds they thought he > would fail, and they liked him too much to see him go down the tubes. > Amdahl tells the story of one of the bigshots putting his arm around him > and begging him not to ruin his career. Well, he took the chance and the > rest is history. Frank Cary, then chairman of IBM, sent a telegram to Gene on the shipment of the 100th. 470 system which read (roughly): "OK, Gene, you have made your point. You can stop now and come back." -- Mike Taylor ...!{hplabs,amdcad,sun}!amdahl!mat [ This may not reflect my opinion, let alone anyone else's. ]