hes@ecsvax.UUCP (03/06/84)
<> There is one major consideration missing in the generic question:
Is a micro = 1/n'th of a larger computer?
That is consideration of what job you are trying to do! For a job
which fits comfortably on a micro, I believe that that is the best
(cheapest) way to do that job. E.g., word processing of the typical
1-50 or so page letter/memo can be done very cheaply (including the
user's time & effort) on a micro.
A big number crunching type job will probably require such things
on a micro as extensive reprogramming to partition/overlay/etc. so it
fits the constraints of memory; a wall-clock execution time exceeding
the MTBF of the micro and/or the users patience/life-span; I/O of such
magnitude that the user must spend much time changing disks, etc.
For cheap convenient running of small jobs one needs a micro; for
acceptable performance in larger jobs one needs larger machines
(maybe even larger than VAX/unix!) which are easily accessable and
ideally upwards compatible. The best of all worlds is a micro per user
with good communications to an array of larger and larger computers.
(That's the hardware-then one needs suitable software.)
--henry schaffer ncsu genetics