What I would add is that if you need to do anything on the local
terminal, option two is almost certainly out of the question. I have
several xBSD ultrasparc II{e,i} boxes here and the local video is
terrible. Over the network is fine (although with some machines the
happy meal ethernet isn't the best (SPARCengines...)), but local always
sucks.
On 10/10/05, John Stalker <stalker@maths.tcd.ie> wrote:
I am thinking of buying a 12-cpu ultrsparcII unit (E4500) for a
couple of scientific computing projects I am working on. My OS
choices seem to be
1) Solaris 8, 9, or 10
2) NetBSD
3) Plan9
Option (1) is obviously the safe, conservative option. Option (3)
would be the most fun. Anyone have any relevant experience? From
``the Various Ports'' it seems that I may need to fix up floating
point support in the compiler. Am I likely to run into other
problems? I can only expect to get away with option (3) if the
performance is roughly comparable--say, to within a factor of
two--with option (1) and if the amount of systems programming
needed is zero or small. The main external library which would
need porting is libfftw for the Fast Fourier Transform.
--
John Stalker
University of Dublin, Trinity College
School of Mathematics
--
The subject of this essay (the Myth of Sisyphus) is precisely
this relationship between the absurd and suicide, the exact
degree to which suicide is a solution to the absurd. The
principle can be established that for a man who does not cheat,
what he believes to be true must determine his action.
Belief in the absurdity of existence must then dictate his
conduct. It is legitimate to wonder, clearly and without
false pathos, whether a conclusion of this importance
requires forsaking as rapidly possiblean imcompre-
hensible condition. I am speaking, of course, of men
inclined to be in harmony with themselves.
<< Albert Camus>>