Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!ll-xn!ames!amdahl!chuck From: chuck@amdahl.amdahl.com (Charles Simmons) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: What with these Vector's anyways? Message-ID: <10883@amdahl.amdahl.com> Date: Sun, 26-Jul-87 20:39:51 EDT Article-I.D.: amdahl.10883 Posted: Sun Jul 26 20:39:51 1987 Date-Received: Mon, 27-Jul-87 00:43:39 EDT References: <218@astra.necisa.oz> <142700010@tiger.UUCP> Reply-To: chuck@amdahl.UUCP (Charles Simmons) Organization: Amdahl Corp, Sunnyvale CA Lines: 18 Keywords: vector Cray Cyber CDC Cpu Supercomputers In article <2408@ames.arpa> lamaster@ames.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster) writes: >A vector machine is NOT the same thing as a SUPERCOMPUTER. A supercomputer is >a loose term generally applied to this year's two or three fastest (usually >vector) or most expensive (:-) machines. > > Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9, UUCP {seismo,topaz,lll-crg,ucbvax}! While I'm not as exposed to supercomputers as Hugh, in my experience the term supercomputer is only applied to extremely fast scalar processors with attached vector processors. For example, people around here tell me that an Amdahl 5890 is at least as fast as a Cray (which one?) for scalar processing. However, a 5890 is "only" a mainframe and not a supercomputer. I think if you attach a vector processor to a 5890, however, you do end up with a supercomputer. Hopefully Hugh or Eugene will correct any of my misconceptions... -- Chuck