🚀 go-pugleaf

August 10, 1992 - Meeting notice -- The PARALLEL Processing 
Connection

The Connection Machine from Thinking Machines Corporation has long 
been synonymous with High Performance computing also known as 
supercomputing. This month we will examine the specifics of that 
reputation and some of TMC's design decisions. For example, why did 
they abandon the hypercube configuration? TMC's Eugene Loh will put the 
presentation in context by discussing the various methods employed in the 
industry to get at the performance promised by parallel computing. TMC 
states that the CM5 is a 'production' computer; we will want to know in 
what ways their machine excels over those from nCube, KSR, and Maspar 
in that regard. TMC makes the point that the MIMD/SIMD labels which 
have heretofore have been used to differentiate between parallel machines 
are inadequate; they will discuss what they consider to be a proper 
taxonomy. Is TMC targeting industrial and consumer applications? And if 
so, when will they offer a scaled down version of their machine in the 
several hundred $K range? This will be the third in our series of four 
distinctive parallel computing machines.

The meeting will take place at 7:30PM at Sun Microsystems at 901 East San 
Antonio Road in Mountain View, California. This is just off the southbound 
San Antonio exit of 101; northbound travelers also exit at San Antonio and
take the overpass to the other side of 101.

Please be prompt; as usual, we expect a large attendance; don't be left out or 
left standing. There is a $8 fee for non-members and members are admitted 
free.

-- 
B. Mitchell Loebel                                      parallel@netcom.COM
PARALLEL Processing Connection                                 408-732-9869