🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov17.162014.6506@chpc.utexas.edu> kneuper@chpc.utexas.edu (Stephen Kneuper) writes:
>A debate is occuring at my site (and within my mind) regarding 64 bit
>versus 32 bit computing.
>
>I'm trying to figure out why I want to go to a 64 bit machine Alpha
>AXP system instead of continuing to run 32 bit machines (RS6K, Sun).
>
>Outside of the numerical analysis issues, the only other issues I see
>are:
>
>1.  64 bit ints allow the easy support of files larger than 2 Gbytes.
>
>2.  64 bit ints allow the construction of filesystems larger than 2
>Gbytes.
>
>I do know some vendors (convex) have addressed these issues within a
>32 bit architecture; Sun allows >2GB filesystems, if memory serves.
>Have I missed any other obvious (or not!) programming or system
>administration issues?
>
>-- 
>Steve Kneuper                                kneuper@chpc.utexas.edu - Internet
>Sr. Operating Systems Specialist
>University of Texas System (mailcode 78700)  kneuper@uthermes - BITNET
>Center for High Performance Computing        (512)471-2472

Commercial computing is moving beyond structured data. Database
systems holding BLOBS, such as images, voice, video clips, 
need much more that 2GB file systems. We already have problems
with databases hitting 2GB file limits even before we start
storing unstructured data.

You don't need a 64-bit machine to support a 64-bit file system,
but it helps. Remember the days when we had to program around 
16-bit limitations. Well, those days will return in the 1990s
as we program around 32-bit limits and lash together 32-bit
segments to stretch out address spaces past 4GB.

A 64-bit architecture should be real good for CHESS programs.
The whole board can be represented using 64 words or less. A
few ands, ors and xors and you can generate the set of possible
moves from a particular position.

64-bits should also be good for financial applications. No need
for micro-coded or milli-coded packed decimal to manipulate
dollar amounts.

Need 64-bits today? Probably not. Need them by 1995 to run 1995
applications? Quite likely. Need a 64-bit PC? Probably by 2001
if you want VR, Voice Recognition, Fully digital Video, etc. etc.

I'm sure other people can up with lots of useful ways to exploit
64-bit address spaces and the speed of single cycle 64-bit
integer and logical operations.