Computers are A Devolutionary Scam

[TerryinMD]

Way back when.... mid 70's or so. We use to write the initial code in Fortran or another favorite high level language. Our compilers typically had the option of converting the code to assembly. The resulting code was somewhat cumbersome, but we could then go in a fine tune the code in assembly language.

Another feature on those older compilers was an optimization level during compilation. When you cranked up the optimization level, the compiler would parse the resulting code to remove ineffecentcies and rearrange the code to take advantage of the machines built in capabilities. You could sometimes gain a 10% decrease in runtime.

Ahhhh..... the good ol' days.... coffee, cigarettes, late nights, and late night team sessions after work at the local watering hole celebrating a small victory. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Terry

 

[MJB]

That sure sounds familiar./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif I am a firm believer in the practice of using the slowest machine you can find to test new software. If the code will run at an acceptable speed on the "old clunker" then it should run at a blazing speed on the newer machines. My current "test bed" computer is an old Pentium 133MHz with 32Mb RAM and a 1Gb hard drive. With WinNT 4.0 installed that old thing is a real slug. You get pretty good at optimizing code when it has to run on a machine like that./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Chuck52]

<font color=blue>You could sometimes gain a 10% decrease in runtime.</font color=blue>

Or....you could get code that didn't do anything like what you wanted. I remember trying to use optimizing compilers on old FORTRAN66 programs. Often if the resulting code ran at all it gave really interesting calculations./w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif I recall the joy of getting ORTEP, the primordial molecular graphics program, written in FORTRAN66, running on my brand spanking new IBM AT and driving a Tektronix flatbed plotter in about 1984. In fact, I still have the PLOTT66 device driver package I used sitting on my bookshelf staring at me right now. Do I throw stuff out? <font color=red> Never!</font color=red>

Chuck

 

[TerryinMD]

Chuck,

A lot depended on the vendor. I worked for Control Data at the time and they prided themselves in their code effeciency. Off course, their compilers only ran on their computers!!

Terry

 

[glennmac]

<font color=blue>their compilers only ran on their computers!!</font color=blue>

Ah, yes, Terry, another good argument why programmer euthanasia should have started in the '50s...... Everyone's code only ran on their own hardware. Like having to have brand-specific film for every different camera, or brand-specific records for every different record player. It took the hardware cloning engineers like Gene Amdahl and the Japanese to undo this ridiculous state of affairs. ... Apple held out, resulting in their now miniscule market share, even though they have better hardware, software, ease-of-use, and style than IBM-Wintel.

 

[TerryinMD]

glennmac,

Back in the 50's, 60's, 70's and into the 80's you had no choice but to use CDC compilers on CDC hardware. IBM compilers on IBM hardware, etc.

This was not necessarily a bad thing. Most computer vendors targeted certain market segments. IBM,Burrows, UNIVAC did business. CDC and DEC did Engineering/Scientific.

What you have now are programmers that prototype their software on a NT system and then port it over to another OS. The compilers are generic and really don't lend themsevles to any particular hardware functionality. The magic of optimization lies with the developers. Methinks that they really don't know how or care. They just throw more hardware at the problem.

Let me pose a question. What software or hardware determines how fast a web page loads on your PC computer?

Is it memory?

Is it your hard drive?

Is it your channel speed?

Is it your network connection?

Is it your CPU speed?

Is it your browser?

Is it your vitual memory?

Is it the number of task concurrently loaded and running?

One of the above is the predominant determiner. And they all have a role to play in the web page load speed - real or apparent.

Terry

 

[glennmac]

What is this, a test???..........Computer whiz tries to toy with mere lawyer in public forum, eh!!!!......Ok, I'll guess: my network connection, especially the part of it that programmers are responsible for.

 

[Knight9]

Harv,

If you like the colorful spicy look to a 'puter....check out these guys. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.alienware.com/main/main.asp>AlienWare</A> A few of their boxes are pretty colorful...and a few of them are VERY fast.

Kevin

 

[ronjhall]

Glenn
<font color=blue> .Computer whiz tries to toy with mere lawyer in public forum, eh!!!!......</font color=blue>
This could get very interesting. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

 

[TerryinMD]

Good job glennmac. /w3tcompact/icons/king.gif I must confess, I was trolling.....

Astute observation!! Yes it was a quiz. You know a lot more than you think (or me second guessing you). However, what I was trying to emphasize was that there are many factors in a computers performance. Your computer works as fast as your slowest link. Most of the time it's waiting for something to do. All the hardware and all of the new software in the world will not make a computer fast!! /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif Also, buying a new OS and computer is sometimes very frustrating. We have all been there and done that.... /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

I'm no computer whiz (would like to whiz on a computer now and then /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif). Just an older programmer who is amazed at all of the wonderful tools and gee whiz hardware available to the average Joe and the programming turks who develop these mind bending apparations for us.

Euthanizing all of the programmers is not a bad idea at times. I would venture to say that that exact thought has passed through many a business executives mind. Hmmmm... in fact, I remember wanting to off a few programmers when I WAS a programmer. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif Why they let some of these turkeys out of the basement of the science building is beyond me!! Give them more twinkies and jolt!!

This is all interesting stuff. Many viewpoints from people with varying degrees of Geekness.

Terry