Joel Hendon

Eminence Of The Desktop Supercomputer


Posted: Saturday, December 06, 2008

by
http://hebronics.org/index.html

The first computer to which I had access, was a large desktop sized metal box about six inches high. It had only a small monitor and a keyboard. It's only usefulness was that of a very limited word processor. The internet existed at the time but my computer did not have internet capabilities.

My brother worked for a large corporation, Lockheed Aircraft, as a computer programmer. But their computer was the size of a large wall, with whirring disks and other peculiar noises. We were amazed that their machine could play a game of checkers with itself. In one of its games after printing out a number of moves for either black or red, finally printed out the words, "Black expects to win in 3 more moves." then after whirring some more, typed out, "Black concedes."

We've come a long way since then, now when homes have PC's almost as frequently as telephones. After getting more advanced personal desktops, with internet capabilities, many of us have set for boring minutes while we waited for the next web page to appear on our screen. But not only did the desktops become more powerful and faster themselves, but the introduction of DSL gave us almost instantaneous page changes. I've often wondered where all this is leading us, especially since I've witnessed the advent of hand held devices which will do more than some full sized Desktops. Telephones that take photos and passes them to a friends phone. Innovations that boggle the mind.

Now we read of the coming of the Supercomputer, already available to businesses who need mega capacity and speeds to perform enormous calculations instantaneously. The personal version which has been unveiled this week is said to be 250 times faster than an ordinary PC and will presently cost about $3,000. I have been astounded from time to time, wondering what more could one want from a regular personal desktop computer, only to have something else to hit almost overnight.

However, this new computer with mega power and speeds, seems to me to be a waste for someone like myself. The one I now own, is far faster than I can think and if it doesn't do something I want to be done, all I need do is download the proper software to do it. As long as I can get a good rig such as my present one, for around $700 USD, I cannot imagine paying five times as much, just so I can say I own a Jaguar. Oh, I'd love to own a Jag sedan though.

But understand, this new machine is not for peons like myself who could just about suffice with the original one I owned, but it is for those who have massive calculations, searches, and so on, that needs to be accomplished immediately. Dell says they will soon be mass producing these supercomputers for the average consumer. Eric Greffier, a Dell senior executive, said:

"Before mobile phones were reserved for the few, now we can't live without them. It will be the same with these supercomputers. They are the building block for the computing of the future."

I also find where innovations are coming which will make the beloved mouse obsolete. That, I do not like. After reading about it, I simply hope that the mouse does not become totally obsolete. As long as I have a choice, I believe I'll use it. I'm not yet fully familiar with what they are proposing but they say you can wear gloves and point at things on your screen, using both hands and moving them across the screen, backing them away and so forth. It does not sound pleasing to me.
Author Biography: Joel Hendon was born near Gadsden Alabama. He attended public schools in Cherokee County, Alabama and after serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, attended Jacksonville State University, majoring in Business Administration. He became a Christian in 1948, and although he followed secular work as a career and retired from Allied Signal Aerospace, he is an avid student of the Holy Bible and related works as well as biblical history. He has an extensive website of conservative religious and political articles.http://hebronics.org/index.html

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Top-level comments on this article: (5 total)
» left by Val Silver
 3 years 35 days ago.
36 fans. Follow Val Silver on twitter!
Hi Hebron,
 
You made me smile thinking back over our old computers. Our first was a commodore 64! Our current one is over four years old-an antique but just fine for us. I'm with you on the mouse- having to sit up and play with the screen doesn't sound like fun.
» left by Sandra E. Graham
 3 years 35 days ago.
248 fans.
Great article, Hebron. I remember those old dinosaur computers well. Today if you buy a computer--thirty minutes after you leave the store with it, it is out of date! Every time I acquire the perfect cell phone--bingo! I see a much better one in an advertisement. It never ends, does it?
 
Thanks for sharing and Welcome to SearchWarp.
 
Sandra
» left by Susan Thom
 3 years 35 days ago.
174 fans.
hi hebron,
 
this was very interesting, as i'm sure it was when we were reading about cell phones and computers years ago. i love my mouse, too, and never could get used to the pad on a lap top i had for a time. leave the mouse alone:)
 
thanks for sharing, and i hope you continue writing,
 
welcome to searchwarp
 
happy holidays,
 
best regards,
 
sue thom
» left by straight talk
 3 years 34 days ago.
111 fans. Follow straight talk on twitter!
Hebron right on the head. Most can't get on line much less figure out how to maximize all this power. The complexities of versions, software, dll's, upgrades, manufacturers ,etc make for more nightmares for the novice and now more processing.
» left by straight talk
 3 years 34 days ago.
111 fans. Follow straight talk on twitter!
More firepowe for what? Many can't turn the darn things ona nd off.
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