I don't disagree that brute force is good as long as it does the job at a satisfactory cost. But as an engineer I do love an elegant solution.
My point was I think they have the talent that is smart enough and capable enough to do it (even if they will never try to do it for a laundry list of reasons). Which isn't to say their designers are dumb, but rather my point was they weren't on the same level of mastery at the craft. But as you said it would be alot of hard work to create designs to fill that niche. Hard enough that the ROI would never be worth it. If IBM had a monopoly on mobile or AI, folks would try to break it. But for banks that will prob never switch off no matter the comp's merits, it is too steep a hill to climb for how small it is (relatively speaking anyways).
They do. But it's not like Google, intel, and a thousand other folks don't also make advanced (at least by the current primitive standards we have) quantum computers.
I think that was in reference to Japan's current most advanced processes (I think Toshiba's 40nm). Either way that is still crazy, since I don't think N3’s structural costs are more than 10x 40nm, but I could be wrong as 40nm was a LONG time ago.
I think their mainframes are very elegant, but maybe we're looking at different aspects of it.
If we look at brute force, some of it is, based on their market, they can do that more/better than anyone else. I almost think their customers expect them not to skimp on costs, given how expensive their computers are.
But, my feeling is you are looking at it from one perspective, and I from another, and we probably both have merits in how we're looking. For example, their L2 cache/L3 cache arrangement, to me, is extremely elegant and completely innovative. I also think that having a computer that can detect errors in every instruction that is run, and take that processor off-line, and replace it without the user ever noticing is elegant. I think being down a few fractions of a second, per year, on average, is very elegant. Well, maybe not elegant, but really impressive. I think being able to remove a memory stick and having the computer replace it on the fly with a spare, with no down time, is elegant.
I think an OS that is so incredibly robust, it can make changes without a reboot, or without downtime, is elegant.
Of course, you guys have a good point with their manufacturing nonsense, and boasting. But, they do have nice tech too. Their POWER line is good at what it does, and as you can tell, I have a ton of respect for their mainframes and what they do.
We'll have to agree to disagree on other companies doing it, but then I don't even think we disagree that much. It's theoretically possible, but the biggest impediment is the super, super reliable OS. Apple hasn't come close. Neither has MS. No one has. I don't think the hardware is the biggest issue, although IBM does some advanced stuff no one else has. But, I agree, that would be far from impossible. But, the OS, and the way the whole system works together? That's a big canyon to cross.
