Groups > alt.folklore.computers > #235718

Re: Harvest time!

From	Lars Poulsen <lars@beagle-ears.com>
Newsgroups	alt.folklore.computers
Subject	Re: Harvest time!
Date	2026-10-01 20:05 -0700
Organization	A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID	<119n714$1o7tv$1@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References	<119kf6g$9kh$1@reader1.panix.com> <119mlq6$1iqr6$7@dont-email.me>

Show all headers | View raw

On 10/1/2026 15:11, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
> On Thu, 1 Oct 2026 02:06:08 -0000 (UTC), David Lesher wrote:
> 
>> Stumbled across:
>> <https://spectrum.ieee.org/cold-war-codebreaker-nsa-ibm>
> 
> It’s not made clear in the description, but that machine seems to be
> more some kind of bulk text comparator, not a number-cruncher like the
> Cray.
> 
> That would make sense if you consider that IBM machines were always
> more about data processing than powerful computations. The STRETCH
> machine was mentioned as failing to meet its performance goals; that
> was part, perhaps even the start, of IBM’s long history of
> overpromising and underdelivering.

I feel there is a bit more snark here than I find justified. The goal 
was a very large stretch, and the attempt to reach it did indeed advance 
the state of the art a great deal, paving the way for the 360 series.

-- 
Lars Poulsen - an old geek in Santa Barbara, California

Thread

Harvest time! David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com> - 2026-10-01 02:06 +0000
  Re: Harvest time! Anton Antimo <anton@safunu.org> - 2026-10-01 11:26 -0300
    Re: Harvest time! Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-10-01 23:44 +0800
    Re: Harvest time! David LaRue <huey.dll@tampabay.rr.com> - 2026-10-01 21:22 +0000
  Re: Harvest time! Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-10-01 22:11 +0000
    Re: Harvest time! Lars Poulsen <lars@beagle-ears.com> - 2026-10-01 20:05 -0700
      Re: Harvest time! Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-10-02 04:50 +0000
        Re: Harvest time! Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-10-02 18:17 +0000
          Re: Harvest time! Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-10-02 21:44 +0000
            Re: Harvest time! Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> - 2026-10-02 13:43 -1000
              Re: Harvest time! James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-10-03 19:31 +0000
                Re: Harvest time! Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-10-03 21:43 +0000
                Re: Harvest time! Lynn Wheeler <lynn@garlic.com> - 2026-10-03 16:16 -1000
                Re: Harvest time! James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-10-06 21:23 +0000
  Re: Harvest time! John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2026-10-02 01:48 +0000

csiph-web