Howdy Horace,
Mentioned quads for use to unmask encription technology. 25 years out of
game is eons. Rice U giving up on parallel computing research didn't mean
the end of the work. They just couldn't find the brains to continue. Close
coupled is not mirroring imaging . The work goes on. Code busting is alive
and well thankfully.. or else the internet can be overwhelmed by a few
phreaks playing with lasers that could make computer virus look tame. Spy
vs. spy.
Richard
Digital computers generate pseudo-random numbers, which have limited
use. The info below is about *actual* random number generation.
Pseudo-random number generation is bad for use in gambling devices,
like video poker, because it gives the house unfair odds and
predictable games/patterns. It can give players an advantage if they
crack the number generator, because they can tell where it is in its
sequence by observing game play. Ordinary pseudo-random number
generators are also very bad for encryption mask generation, because
they are comparatively easily cracked using known plaintext attacks.
Important simulations should be checked using real random number
generation to avoid unexpected systematically skewed results. This is
an important field I think. I also think 2 Gbps is unimpressive
using today's circuitry.
BTW, networked X-box or Playstation game platforms make for
fantastically cheap supercomputers. Here's an example:
http://www.labspaces.net/94312/
PS_s_Help_Astrophysicists_Solve_Black_Hole_Mystery
http://tinyurl.com/6sr8qy
Tightly coupled multiprocessing is a very old discipline that pre-
dates supercomputing by decades. I did internals work over 25 years
ago on a highly commercial operating system designed to run 16
tightly coupled CPUs.
Sounds like somebody is giving you some overblown hype on quad
processing. I hope it is not a stock broker. It is true a lot of
graphics horsepower (and fast monitors) will be required when
operating systems go 3D, but this is not a technological breakthrough
AFAIK, except maybe for price. I kind of wonder if the new Sony
Bravia XBR7 with 240 Hz refresh rate is possibly designed for 3D
game playing. That gives the full two channels of 120 Hz image
bandwidth required for fast motion 3D. The remaining hardware need
is a pair of synchronized glasses. I think there are some wild 3D
games and videos coming! The new supercomputer architecture game
platforms are very much up to the job for that, and already very cheap.
