zenith@ensmp.fr (Steven Ericsson Zenith) (01/18/91)
From: pratt@cs.stanford.edu;
... Whoever gets the upper
hand in concurrent software will get the upper hand in concurrent
computing.
While I don't think Steven is intentionally pulling the wool over our
eyes, the Europeans are so far ahead of the US in concurrent software
that in ten years time they will be the ones dictating terms to the
hardware companies in the US.
I should make it clear that the technology and resource in high
performance computing to which I refer is hardware. The availability of
transputer systems (amoung other things) over the past 5-6 yrs has
enabled European researchers in concurrency to reach a reasonable
understanding of the subject. That I'll admit - though I find it hard to
be as full of praise as Vaughan. 5 years ago parallel processing in the
USA was strictly a minority sport. It entertains many an ex-INMOSian
(this one included) to see parts of INTEL now selling the same
philosophy as INMOS did 6 years ago.
Having just spent a year in the USA - and having seen first hand the
wealth of current high performance computing resource - and noting the
advanced stages of high performance microprocessor development (i870,
iWARP, AT&T, TI etc..) and routing technology on which future HPC
machines will be based. And noting the High Performance Computing
Initiative which will charge future "Grand Challenge" research with
funds, along side the emergence of companies such as SGI and others in
the parallel computing "market". Being aware of the self-interest and
bickering that haunts ESPRIT funding - which, frankly, is being diverted
into projects to support outdated technology in the cause of political
expediancy - then if Europe currently has an advantage in this respect
it will surely be a short lived one.
Steven
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