deviantbit (u/deviantbit)

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deviantbit commented on I want a good parallel computer raphlinus.github.io/gpu/2... · Posted by u/raphlinus

pdimitar · 9 months ago

Quite fascinating. Did you write about your experiences in that area? Would love to read it!

deviantbit · 9 months ago

Not in those terms, but an autobiography is coming, and bits and pieces are being explained. I expect about 10 people to buy the book, as all of the socialists will want it for free. I am negotiating with a publisher as we speak on the terms.

deviantbit commented on I want a good parallel computer raphlinus.github.io/gpu/2... · Posted by u/raphlinus

pca006132 · 9 months ago

While financial incentives is important to some, a lot of people write books to share their knowledge and give the book out for free. I think more people are doing this now, and there are also open collaborative textbook projects.

And I personally think that it is weird to write books during your working hour, and also get monet from selling that book.

deviantbit · 9 months ago

"financial incentives"

This is the most ignorant response I've seen yet. We don't expect monetary gain from publishing a book. We expect our costs to be covered.

This is about the consumer, not the publisher. If we lived in a socialist system, they would still pirate our publications and we will still be in debt over it.

deviantbit commented on I want a good parallel computer raphlinus.github.io/gpu/2... · Posted by u/raphlinus

0xbadcafebee · 9 months ago

> There's a whole generation of engineers that don't seem to realize why we architected things this way in the first place.

Nobody teaches it, and nobody writes books about it (not that anyone reads anymore)

deviantbit · 9 months ago

So, there are books out there. I use Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by Hennessy and Patterson. Recent revisions have removed historical information. I understand why they did remove it. I wanted to use Stallings book, but the department had already made arrangements with the publisher.

The biggest problem on why we don't write books is that people don't buy them. They take the PDF and stick it on github. Publishers don't respond to the authors on take down requests, github doesn't care about authors, so why spend the time on publishing a book? We can chase grant money. I'm fortunate enough to not have to chase grant money.

deviantbit commented on I want a good parallel computer raphlinus.github.io/gpu/2... · Posted by u/raphlinus

morphle · 9 months ago

I shipped 5 applications on an 800 Inmos Transputer supercomputer. Sold my parallel C compilers, macro Assembler. Also an OS, Macintosh Nubus interface card, Transputer graphics cards, a full paper copier and laserprinter. I know of dozens of successful products.

deviantbit · 9 months ago

Sure you did. What were they? The only successful transputer was the T414 and it never made it outside academia.

deviantbit commented on I want a good parallel computer raphlinus.github.io/gpu/2... · Posted by u/raphlinus

ryukoposting · 9 months ago

One of the most important steps of my career was being forced to write code for an 8051 microcontroller. Then writing firmware for an ARM microcontroller to make it pretend it was that same 8051 microcontroller.

I was made to witness the horrors of archaic computer architecture in such depth that I could reproduce them on totally unrelated hardware.

deviantbit · 9 months ago

I tell students today that the best way to learn is by studying the mistakes others have already made. Dismissing the solutions they found isn’t being independent or smart; it’s arrogance that sets you up to repeat the same failures.

Sounds like you had a good mentor. Buy them lunch one day.

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deviantbit commented on I want a good parallel computer raphlinus.github.io/gpu/2... · Posted by u/raphlinus

sitkack · 9 months ago

Those students would all drop out and start meditating. That would be a fun course. Speed run developing for all the prickly architectures of the 80s and 90s.

deviantbit · 9 months ago

I see what you did there.

deviantbit commented on I want a good parallel computer raphlinus.github.io/gpu/2... · Posted by u/raphlinus

morphle · 9 months ago

Not true. "just fix the page tables" took me 4 hours. And only 15 minutes with the Linux kernel on Apple Silicon.

deviantbit · 9 months ago

Obviously you missed the sarcasm.

u/deviantbit

KarmaCake day695December 14, 2021View Original