____/ nessuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on Thursday 28 June 2007 01:48 : \____
> ..
>>
>> "389 of the top 500 (77.8%) run Linux!"
>> ^^^
>
>
> Wasn't Microsoft going to come in and take over the field of
> supercomputing?
I have been spotting what appears to be some media manipulation
(e.g. 'placements') which makes it seems like Microsoft has some success, but
here's the bomb that later dropped:
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft only had a brief moment on the Top 500 supercomputer list before
| the machine was rebooted as a Linux cluster last fall.
`----
http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=B2413430-EEAF-455C-9D85-706DC25D148D
That's another broken chair, I suppose. Either way, this product from Microsoft
was trialled here and it was abysmal. I posted about to COLA some months ago.
> Can you imagine 131,000 processors, each running Windows? What do you
> suppose the mean time to failure would be? And who would want to try
> to tie together a large number of systems, when it's all closed source
> and you can't see how it works inside or modify if it you need to or
> if you find a bug? Ugh. I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.
> One bright spot, however. Supercomputing is another area for
> Microsoft to waste its cash pile on, like search, Xbox, Zune, ...
That is /exactly/ what I thought. It's a distraction. Can you imagine the mind
of an executive in this company which tries /anything/ that /might/ make
money? It's not just software anymore. No wonder the company is so /overly/
layered, which weakens management efficiency and coordination. Joel Spolsky,
who used to manage Excel, wrote about this a while back. The number of layers
paralyses the company. Those that focus on, let us say, a database or a search
engine are bound to deliver polished products on schedule.
Supercomputer from a Windows XP derivative? That cannot compete with decades of
POSIX-compliant platforms. Nobody needs a BSoD in a cluster. Too much energy,
too much to lose.
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Kernel panic - more exciting than being /.'ted
http://Schestowitz.com | RHAT Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
03:05:01 up 11 days, 8:33, 4 users, load average: 1.58, 2.04, 2.09
http://iuron.com - Open Source knowledge engine project
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