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From: bcw@duke.UUCP (Bruce C. Wright)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: 4 -> 8 -> 8/16 -> 16 -> 16/32 -> 32  What next, 64 bit micros ?
Message-ID: <4079@duke.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Mar-84 19:22:48 EST
Article-I.D.: duke.4079
Posted: Thu Mar 15 19:22:48 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Mar-84 02:40:58 EST
References: <1161@sdccs5.UUCP>
Organization: Duke University
Lines: 16

64 bit machines are usually only interesting for special purpose
computations.  In some cases, 64 bit double precision can indeed
be too small (astronomers for example often want to have very good
precision even after subtracting two large numbers), but even on a
32-bit machine this can be done easily by having an extended precision
(quad precision) like the VAX does with G- and H- floating point.

But 64 bits to run a spreadsheet?  Give me a break!  64 bits isn't
even considered necessary in the large corporation mainframe environment,
and if it had any economic significance for anything other than special-
purpose computations (a la Cray I), then those corporations would have
the megabucks required to make it happen in that world.  If it isn't
necessary for the big mainframes, it almost certainly isn't necessary
on micros!

				Bruce C. Wright