From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Message-ID: <283f5df10510101244x57affad5h88d51df0109e984b@mail.gmail.com> Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2005 15:44:44 -0400 From: LiteStar numnums To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@cse.psu.edu> Subject: Re: [9fans] sparc port, number crunching In-Reply-To: <200510101633.aa68635@salmon.maths.tcd.ie> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_Part_10102_15926933.1128973484629" References: <200510101633.aa68635@salmon.maths.tcd.ie> Topicbox-Message-UUID: 993a26c8-ead0-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 ------=_Part_10102_15926933.1128973484629 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline 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 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>> ------=_Part_10102_15926933.1128973484629 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline 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 o= f scientific computing projects I am working on.  My OS
choice= s 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?&= nbsp; From
``the Various Ports'' it seems that I may need to fix up= floating
point support in the compiler.  Am I likely to run i= nto 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--w= ith option (1) and if the amount of systems programming
needed is zero o= r small.  The main external library which would
need porting i= s libfftw for the Fast Fourier Transform.
--
John Stalker
University of Dublin, Trinity College
School o= f Mathematics



--
The su= bject of this essay (the Myth of Sisyphus) is precisely
this relationshi= p 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 t= o be true must determine his action.
Belief in the absurdity of existenc= e must then dictate his
conduct. It is legitimate to wonder, clearly and without
false patho= s, whether a conclusion of this importance
requires forsaking as rapidly= possiblean imcompre-
hensible condition. I am speaking, of course, of m= en
inclined to be in harmony with themselves.
  << Albe= rt Camus>> ------=_Part_10102_15926933.1128973484629--