Article View: comp.arch
Article #21815Re: fad computing
From: gillies
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 1989 01:38
Date: Sat, 23 Dec 1989 01:38
25 lines
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1684 bytes
> Well, there are fast compilers for Unix. It is not a matter of CPU > architecture, or even system architecture, or even OS architecture. Someone said "Macs have terrible [coding] throughput compared to workstations". Now you're on the defensive? I didn't expect my arguments to work *that* well. PC's have some advantages. You can dedicate 100% of the CPU for compiles. You can run code benchmarks that are absolutely 100% reproduceable. I don't believe this is possible under preemptive UNIX. You must run a much longer benchmark on UNIX to wipe out the timing noise due to context switches. Most PC development systems integrate compile, bind, load, & launch without touching the disk -- not to page, not to write a binary, not touching the disk AT ALL. I believe that this is physically impossible under [some types of] UNIX. This shortens the debug loop. The quality of PC debuggers is catching up to workstations, and may soon surpass workstation debuggers. I suspect there are more PC programmers today than workstation programmers, so the development tools are improving. In summary, sometimes PC's can be superior to workstations. Sometimes they are not. That is all.
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!m.cs.uiuc.edu!p.cs.uiuc.edu!gillies From: gillies@p.cs.uiuc.edu Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: fad computing Message-ID: <76700096@p.cs.uiuc.edu> Date: 23 Dec 89 01:38:30 GMT References: <8840002@hpfcso.HP.COM> Lines: 25 Nf-ID: #R:hpfcso.HP.COM:8840002:p.cs.uiuc.edu:76700096:000:1194 Nf-From: p.cs.uiuc.edu!gillies Dec 21 23:38:00 1989