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This all made sense to me until the end. It sounds like the author wants to just build pc’s that are customized, which one can totally do without trouble. I’m n

This all made sense to me until the end. It sounds like the author wants to just build pc’s that are customized, which one can totally do without trouble. I’m not sure what there is to lament except maybe a lack of processor and OS variety?

MrBuddyCasino 6y ago
Got the same impression. He writes: > In high-tech domains, an engineer could readily have a toolchest of suitable computers in the same way that a mechanic has different tools for their tasks. This one has an FPGA connected by both PCI-E and JTAG to allow for quick hardware prototyping. This one is connected to a high-throughput GPU for visualisations; that one to a high-capacity GPU for scientific simulations. Thats just different PCIe cards. You don't need a dedicated vendor for that, just a screwdriver.
- synack 6y ago
  Even USB 3.0 is fast enough for many of those use cases and makes it much easier to mix and match devices to get the right balance of portability, power consumption, and functionality. The only remaining problem there is untangling the cable squid on your desk.
  - MrBuddyCasino 6y ago
    USB 3.0 maybe not, but Thunderbolt 4 is, as it can tunnel PCIe traffic at 32Gb/s.
- baybal2 6y ago
  Indeed this is how it's done. Especially given how fragile/buggy the "professional" software is, or is limited to DOS/Win98/ME/XP/2000, or need an exotic driver for PCI-to-PCIE converter, hardware license key etc. I worked in companies where EDA, HDL, EE instrumentation machines were purposefully left running 24*7 just because the lengthy ritual of applying the needed set of hacks to get them running. Or because Windows update was killing a certain Labview function. My favourite was a PC with a sticker "DO NOT PLUG INTO INTERNET UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, WINDOWS UPDATE PIRACY DETECTOR WILL TRIGGER CADENCE ANTIPIRACY DETECTOR"
trasz 6y ago
I think the keyword here is "integration". The theory being, because the hardware and software are being done by the same company, it's easier to make them work together well. This has been the case sometimes, Apple, Digital (VMS), and NEXT are good examples of this, but from what I've seen, in most cases the user experience was pretty poor anyway.
- srtjstjsj 6y ago
  And while Apple was always great at integrated experience in their cathedral, they took decades to get to external compatibility and competitive horsepower.
  - trasz 6y ago
    Since early nineties the Unix workstation vendors also had this problem - every now and then they managed to get ahead, particularly with floating point, but then quickly lost the lead, not being able to keep up with Intel. Most of them also loved weird hardware solutions - not just internal bus connectors, but also serial ports (eg the round Mac serial port connectors used by SGI) and sometimes just a "generally weird interfaces", like HP MUX boxes, or HIL keyboards/mice.
GrumpyYoungMan 6y ago
> "I’m not sure what there is to lament except maybe a lack of processor and OS variety?" Yeah, but that's something we should lament; we're stuck at a local maxima for both. The ability to try out new ideas and architectures has been curtailed because no competitor can get enough momentum to stay alive long enough to displace the entrenched incumbents.

MrBuddyCasino 6y ago

Got the same impression. He writes: > In high-tech domains, an engineer could readily have a toolchest of suitable computers in the same way that a mechanic has different tools for their tasks. This one has an FPGA connected by both PCI-E and JTAG to allow for quick hardware prototyping. This one is connected to a high-throughput GPU for visualisations; that one to a high-capacity GPU for scientific simulations. Thats just different PCIe cards. You don't need a dedicated vendor for that, just a screwdriver.

synack 6y ago
Even USB 3.0 is fast enough for many of those use cases and makes it much easier to mix and match devices to get the right balance of portability, power consumption, and functionality. The only remaining problem there is untangling the cable squid on your desk.
- MrBuddyCasino 6y ago
  USB 3.0 maybe not, but Thunderbolt 4 is, as it can tunnel PCIe traffic at 32Gb/s.
baybal2 6y ago
Indeed this is how it's done. Especially given how fragile/buggy the "professional" software is, or is limited to DOS/Win98/ME/XP/2000, or need an exotic driver for PCI-to-PCIE converter, hardware license key etc. I worked in companies where EDA, HDL, EE instrumentation machines were purposefully left running 24*7 just because the lengthy ritual of applying the needed set of hacks to get them running. Or because Windows update was killing a certain Labview function. My favourite was a PC with a sticker "DO NOT PLUG INTO INTERNET UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, WINDOWS UPDATE PIRACY DETECTOR WILL TRIGGER CADENCE ANTIPIRACY DETECTOR"

trasz 6y ago

I think the keyword here is "integration". The theory being, because the hardware and software are being done by the same company, it's easier to make them work together well. This has been the case sometimes, Apple, Digital (VMS), and NEXT are good examples of this, but from what I've seen, in most cases the user experience was pretty poor anyway.

srtjstjsj 6y ago
And while Apple was always great at integrated experience in their cathedral, they took decades to get to external compatibility and competitive horsepower.
- trasz 6y ago
  Since early nineties the Unix workstation vendors also had this problem - every now and then they managed to get ahead, particularly with floating point, but then quickly lost the lead, not being able to keep up with Intel. Most of them also loved weird hardware solutions - not just internal bus connectors, but also serial ports (eg the round Mac serial port connectors used by SGI) and sometimes just a "generally weird interfaces", like HP MUX boxes, or HIL keyboards/mice.

GrumpyYoungMan 6y ago

> "I’m not sure what there is to lament except maybe a lack of processor and OS variety?" Yeah, but that's something we should lament; we're stuck at a local maxima for both. The ability to try out new ideas and architectures has been curtailed because no competitor can get enough momentum to stay alive long enough to displace the entrenched incumbents.