David Gelernter - was Re: IBM 7074 and then some: "Systems we love" conference

[Toby Thain]

On 2017-01-23 6:52 PM, Chuck Guzis wrote:
> On 01/23/2017 12:25 PM, Paul Koning wrote:
>>
>>> On Jan 23, 2017, at 2:16 PM, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> On 01/23/2017 11:00 AM, Steven Maresca wrote:
>>>> Just wanted to share an excerpted story just sent to me by a
>>>> colleague, regarding an IBM 7074 supplying data to Java
>>>> middleware, ultimately feeding a modern webapp stack:
>>>> http://thenewstack.io/happens-use-java-1960-ibm-mainframe/
>>>
>>> The 7074 was referred to as a "supercomputer".  Can any decimal
>>> machine really bear that title?
>>
>> I suppose it could. ...
>
> The 7070/74 was just a member of the 7000 line.  The 7030 STRETCH and
> even the 7090/94 were both binary and far faster.
>
> It's just that I bridle a bit when hearing the young 'uns refer to any
> physically large machine as a "supercomputer".
>
> It's the same feeling that I get when I see press releases today that
> relate that David Gelernter single-handedly developed the parallel
> computation.  He's not old enough; at 61, he was still in high school
> during the ILLIAC IV era.

Gelernter's profile may have been boosted by a Scientific American 
special issue on Advanced Computing (1987). It featured his experimental 
Linda system. It's certainly I first heard of him -- I think it was this 
article:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/programming-for-advanced-computing/

And stuff like this wouldn't have hurt either (found just now while 
googling the above citation):

http://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/19/business/david-gelernter-s-romance-with-linda.html?pagewanted=all

And, well... in more recent news...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/01/18/david-gelernter-fiercely-anti-intellectual-computer-scientist-is-being-eyed-for-trumps-science-adviser/

--Toby


>
> Now, get off of my lawn!
>
> --Chuck
>