Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ncar!oddjob!uxc!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!urbsdc!aglew From: aglew@urbsdc.Urbana.Gould.COM Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Balanced system - a tentative defin Message-ID: <28200188@urbsdc> Date: 13 Aug 88 22:29:00 GMT References: <794@cernvax.UUCP> Lines: 36 Nf-ID: #R:cernvax.UUCP:794:urbsdc:28200188:000:1656 Nf-From: urbsdc.Urbana.Gould.COM!aglew Aug 13 17:29:00 1988 >Someone a while ago asked what a "balanced system" is. I propose >the following definition for debate/flaming: > >"A balanced system is one where an improvement in the performance >of any single part would not increase the overall performance of >the system, and where the degrading of any single part would de- >crease the overall performance." > > Hubert Matthews Well, I asked the original question, and my response to this proposed definition is that it may well be a good definition - but I would seldom plan to build such a "balanced" system. This sort of balanced=saturated system would mean that, to improve the performance of the system, I would have to improve the performance of all components simultaneously. That is an expensive thing to do. Maybe incremental cost should enter the definition? Ie. improving the performance of any single part would not increase the overall performance of the system _at_ _an_ _acceptable_ _price_/_performance_ _ratio_. This gives flexibility to the defintion - if I can focus on one component, and find a way to reduce the incremental cost of improving its performance, I can improve the system changing only one component. Andy "Krazy" Glew. Gould CSD-Urbana. 1101 E. University, Urbana, IL 61801 aglew@gould.com - preferred, if you have MX records aglew@xenurus.gould.com - if you don't ...!ihnp4!uiucuxc!ccvaxa!aglew - paths may still be the only way My opinions are my own, and are not the opinions of my employer, or any other organisation. I indicate my company only so that the reader may account for any possible bias I may have towards our products.