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Bruce Hill <daddy <at> happypenguincomputers.com> writes: |
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> computer gaming (yawn)... |
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think database acceleration, |
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load of additional mathematically tuned |
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addtional hardware for both MIPS/MOPS etc etc |
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think: an order of magnitue more hardware campacity of the |
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workstation or server, now fully utilizing the GPU(s). |
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Think searching and sorting algorithms running at orders |
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of magnitude fasters. Now use these in networked |
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distributed and clustered systems. |
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Think of the hardware assault on a range of NP Complete |
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problems that only a few larges systems can tackle today. |
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Think man think of all of the projects, where NDA's are signed |
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and software vendors customize solutions for DOD, Aerospace |
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and other massive problems, all solved with the use |
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of "bare metal" and lightweight alogrithms that run on |
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bare metal |
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It will eventually effect everything that is done computationally, |
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not just limited to graphical interfaces. |
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The problem is we have been lead down this path before, via |
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marketing hype, and denieded bare metal access. Bare metal |
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access for lightweight or custom algorithms, have traditionally |
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been extraordinarily expense to gain access to. Typically, hardware vendors |
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select only a few outside companies to really have access to |
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these things. Every layer of the API, system calls, IPC, etc, involves |
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using scarce hardware resources to manage for an OS. |
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Bare metal access, particularly if something like GCC incorporates |
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this bare metal access, via a compiler, it allows GPUs to |
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be use as reconfigurable blocks for custom and continuouse |
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searching and sorting. Searching and sorting the the most important |
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things in a multi-user multi-thread operating system, imho. |
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These secrets are worth billions to these vendors (Nvidia, AMD ....) |
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and as such have been locked away from routine computational |
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use. If access is truly opened up, a war for tight integration |
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amoung all hardware vendors will transpire (FPGA, ASIC, GPU, CPU |
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and memory). |
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It is a GAME CHANGER, IFF true, that is ifunadulterated bare metal |
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access is being provided to the masses |
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Otherwise, your yawn rules the day..... and this just may turn out |
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to be more hype, as it is limited to NDAs between game developers |
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and the hardware vendor, in yet another exclusive club. |
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hth, |
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James |
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