3 ms·

When it comes to owning next-generation application workflows, Nvidia is facing robust competition from startups and established players who want access to this

by rsp1984 8y ago

When it comes to owning next-generation application workflows, Nvidia is facing robust competition from startups and established players who want access to this potentially gigantic market. Am I the only one who cringes when someone says or writes "application" but actually means "datacenter" or "internet service"? The author is clearly not talking about Mobile or Desktop Apps here. And even with that term cleared up, WTF are "next-generation application workflows"?

rconti 8y ago
If they had just pluralized applications and left off the word 'workflows', it would be a perfectly cromulent statement.
stonogo 8y ago
Regardless of your preferred terms of art, Tensorflow (as an example) is an application, and a deployment that uses Tensorflow to intuit product recommendations (as an example) is an application workflow. It doesn't really matter what kind of device the program runs on. It's running in userspace: it's an application. It does not function in a vacuum: it's part of a workflow.
- rsp1984 8y ago
  Can you point me to any references for this definition of application? I have never heard TF being called an application. I'd call it a library or a toolkit but maybe these terms aren't en vogue these days. (Software) Application to me means quite literally any (software) work that "applies" technology to solve a concrete end-user problem. But I guess you're just proving my point: If we use your definition of application the quoted article text is essentially meaningless since "application workflows" could mean almost anything and NVIDIA certainly isn't in the business of competing for almost anything. If we use my definition the author has just misused the term.
  - stonogo 8y ago
    I'm agreeing with you that 'application workflow' can mean almost anything. I'm strongly disagreeing that nVIDIA isn't in the business of competing for almost anything -- that's exactly what they're doing. It doesn't really matter what your use case is, the nVIDIA sales team has a CUDA (or NVLink, or Tegra, etc) story for you.
    - rsp1984 8y ago
      that's exactly what they're doing. No they're not. For instance they completely turned their backs on Mobile (Tablets, Phones, Wearables, Laptops, etc.) and there's no indication they are coming back any time soon. I know because at some point my company was one of their largest individual SHIELD tablet customers. That is, until they stopped making them and asked us to find another supplier.

rconti 8y ago

If they had just pluralized applications and left off the word 'workflows', it would be a perfectly cromulent statement.

stonogo 8y ago

Regardless of your preferred terms of art, Tensorflow (as an example) is an application, and a deployment that uses Tensorflow to intuit product recommendations (as an example) is an application workflow. It doesn't really matter what kind of device the program runs on. It's running in userspace: it's an application. It does not function in a vacuum: it's part of a workflow.

rsp1984 8y ago
Can you point me to any references for this definition of application? I have never heard TF being called an application. I'd call it a library or a toolkit but maybe these terms aren't en vogue these days. (Software) Application to me means quite literally any (software) work that "applies" technology to solve a concrete end-user problem. But I guess you're just proving my point: If we use your definition of application the quoted article text is essentially meaningless since "application workflows" could mean almost anything and NVIDIA certainly isn't in the business of competing for almost anything. If we use my definition the author has just misused the term.
- stonogo 8y ago
  I'm agreeing with you that 'application workflow' can mean almost anything. I'm strongly disagreeing that nVIDIA isn't in the business of competing for almost anything -- that's exactly what they're doing. It doesn't really matter what your use case is, the nVIDIA sales team has a CUDA (or NVLink, or Tegra, etc) story for you.
  - rsp1984 8y ago
    that's exactly what they're doing. No they're not. For instance they completely turned their backs on Mobile (Tablets, Phones, Wearables, Laptops, etc.) and there's no indication they are coming back any time soon. I know because at some point my company was one of their largest individual SHIELD tablet customers. That is, until they stopped making them and asked us to find another supplier.