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From: lamaster@pioneer.arpa (Hugh LaMaster)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Size of SysV "block" (really: byte != 8 bits)
Message-ID: <2378@ames.arpa>
Date: Fri, 17-Jul-87 16:27:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: ames.2378
Posted: Fri Jul 17 16:27:59 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Jul-87 16:48:04 EDT
References: <218@astra.necisa.oz> <142700010@tiger.UUCP> <2792@phri.UUCP> <207@vianet.UUCP> <2737@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com>
Sender: usenet@ames.arpa
Reply-To: lamaster@ames.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster)
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Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
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In article <2737@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com> dgk@ulysses.homer.nj.att.com (David
Korn[eww]) writes:

>I believe that in the mid-seventies the CDC-STAR used the term
>sword (super-word) to refer to a 512-bit quantum. 
>
>At the time I remember that a 1024 bit word was going to be called a pen

CDC still uses the sword (super word) on the CDC Cyber 205 machines.  The
ETA-10, with a very similar architecture, also uses 8 word swords.  The
ability to fetch and store 512 bits at a time from memory is one of the
reasons that these machines can achieve VERY high speeds on CONTIGUOUS
vectors.  If the vectors are not contiguous, then the advantage disappears.





  Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9,  UUCP {seismo,topaz,lll-crg,ucbvax}!
  NASA Ames Research Center                ames!pioneer!lamaster
  Moffett Field, CA 94035    ARPA lamaster@ames-pioneer.arpa
  Phone:  (415)694-6117      ARPA lamaster@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov


                 "IBM will have it soon"


(Disclaimer: "All opinions solely the author's responsibility")