And after IBM built it they tried very hard to keep Compaq, et al out from this Open Architecture.
> Miller Ross wrote: >> <...> >> >> That said, we as an industry do owe Microsoft one significant debt. >> The standardization of Microcomputer hardware. > I am not so sure. Microsoft deals (at least dealt) with software, not > hardware. > I am not completely sure if there is someone who shall get the credit or > if it was just a coincidence that the PC the is the "winner". If someone > must get some credit, that shall be given to IBM and Donald Estridge. > Donald was responsible for building the PC based on an open architecture > and to use components (software and hardware) from outside of IBM. Open > architecture and off-the-shelf components made the IBM PC architecture > becoming the de-facto standard. > > I believe that these are the same fundaments of beowulf, why the PC grew > so much during this period, and a good example of how open standards > promote innovation. > > Ariel > >> Up until DOS the world was so fragmented it was impossible to launch >> anything in the software, or even specialized hardware arena using >> economies of scale. With the world standardizing on the PC platform >> with DOS stability and real desktop productivity gains became >> possible. Alan Greenspan addressed congress in 1997. Having watched >> the address I was personally impressed with his statement that the US. >> per-capita GDP was dramatically higher than any other nation at that >> time, because the US had a PC on pretty much every worker's desk that >> needed access to a PC. Microsoft brought the US that standardization, >> and those productivity gains. >> >> To the best of my recollection it went. >> >> U.S. 1.0 (normalized) >> Japan .92 >> Germany .87 >> UK same range >> and it went WAY down from there. >> >> That same low cost microcomputer is what we base our Beowulf clusters >> on today, essentially a more reliable beefier version of a desktop >> PC. Just as we don't want Beowulf to be overridden by 'adopt, >> assimilate, and expand', we should give the credit where credit is due >> that we are not using Commodore 64's, TI's, Atari's, or DEC- Rainbows >> as cluster nodes. >> >> Ross >> > > _______________________________________________ > Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf@beowulf.org > To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit > http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf > Robin Harker Workstations UK Ltd DDI: 01494 787710 Tel: 01494 724498 _______________________________________________ Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf@beowulf.org To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf
