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As of 2007, IBM's Blue Gene/P system cost $1.3M per rack, and the Blue Gene/L cost $800K (per a PCWorld story entitled http://www.pcworld.com/article/135334/ibm_drops_price_on_supercomputer.html). However, it should be noted that the hardware cost of such systems doesn't reflect the total configuration and operating cost. Many news outlets have reported on the favorable overall cost effectiveness of building supercomputing clusters with PS3s. Yellow Dog Linux has features specifically designed to support the Cell/B.E. CPU.

I know I posted this like a little bit above, but this sounds like something you might be looking for. Any card with the PowerXCell setup. http://www.fixstars.com/en/products/gigaaccel180/features.html If you check under the specs section, you'll see tha BLAS, LAPACK, FFT, and several other numeric libraries are supported. Also, the GCC can target Cell. All around, not a bad set up for physics modeling.

http://www.fixstars.com/en/products/gigaaccel180/features.html I wouldn't mind having a few of those. Also, the QS22 blades that I worked with were also very nice in my opinion. Cell is a fun architecture.

Actually this is what I was thinking, it's not like Sony/the retailer is forcing them to update to the latest firmware, the users chooses to update and loose that functionality.

Buying a device that promises to do A, B, and C. Then being told after the purchase that you have to pick "A" or "B and C" is not much of a choice. Even if I do nothing I loose advertised features (no PSN, no games or movies that require a firmware update). If I do update I loose real time AVC encoding: http://codecsys.fixstars.com/en/

I do have personal hatred for x86 that runs pretty deep. There's not a single bit of code that I ever run that requires it, so I can safely move away from it. The Cell Cards are nice, but I can get more pervasive use out of the Cell architecture if I go with the PS3 set up. It's easier to do GCC flags for an all Cell set up instead and get good use out of it for everything I happen to run (so long as I can "hide the latency" from the applications) rather than having to patch things together to make good use of the cards. Plus, my latency will be lower anyway than having to rely on transfer along the expansion card bus. I really just want to build a neat little toy. You should check out the offerings from Fixstars Solutions http://us.fixstars.com/ for their PS3 clusters. A quick Google search should turn up some good results on what they've been used for.

Honestly, I just want to do what everyone in the industry should have done at least a decade ago (if not more) and wave goodbye to the x86.

I understand where you're coming from: my personal hatred for x86 also runs deep but unfortunately it's outweighed by my personal hatred for Sony. So no PS3 cluster for me.

...just my $0.02 worth.

I do have personal hatred for x86 that runs pretty deep. There's not a single bit of code that I ever run that requires it, so I can safely move away from it. The Cell Cards are nice, but I can get more pervasive use out of the Cell architecture if I go with the PS3 set up. It's easier to do GCC flags for an all Cell set up instead and get good use out of it for everything I happen to run (so long as I can "hide the latency" from the applications) rather than having to patch things together to make good use of the cards. Plus, my latency will be lower anyway than having to rely on transfer along the expansion card bus. I really just want to build a neat little toy. You should check out the offerings from Fixstars Solutions http://us.fixstars.com/ for their PS3 clusters. A quick Google search should turn up some good results on what they've been used for.

Honestly, I just want to do what everyone in the industry should have done at least a decade ago (if not more) and wave goodbye to the x86.

Eric felt his scrotum contract in its latest desperate attempt to keep his testicles warm. This hospital, wherever it was, was damned drafty.

It didn't help that the nurses on his floor, who had been treating Eric like a complete bitch, liked to keep the air conditioning cranked up. Or was it just his room? He noticed they pulled their cardigans and sweaters around them only when they came to see him.

"Nurse! Nurse!" Eric shouted. "Excuse me, nurse?!"

Eric heard a chair creak, followed by footsteps coming down the hall. They were quick around here, one of the only good things Eric had yet noticed. Perhaps it was because of his celebrity status.

"Yes?" the nurse said, crossing her goose-pimpled arms.

"Nurse, it's damn cold in here," Eric said. "And I think my pain medication is wearing off. Can I have some more pills?"

Her beady eyes, set atop wrinkled, puffy cheeks, lasered him in his bed. This was the sixth time Eric had shouted for her since her shift began. She didn't know him well but she was definitely starting to hate him.

"Oh! And my urinal needs emptied!" Eric added.

The nurse pursed her lips and folded her arms without breaking eye contact, "get fucked" in body language.

Eric smiled a crooked, leering grin at her and winked in a bid to charm her into emptying his piss. The nurse wondered if he was about to have another seizure.

She picked up Eric's chart, flipped through it, and replaced it.

"Mr. Raymond," the nurse said, "you're not due for more pain medication for two more hours."

Eric's mustache, orange and drooping, twitched.

"Do you need your bandages looked at?"

Eric shifted in his bed, stiff and uncomfortable. He slowly, awkwardly, stretched his hospital gown down over his knees.

"Nooo, no, no I don't," Eric said. "My bandages are just fine."

"Fine then," the nurse said. "I'll get your urinal. Do you need anything else?"

Eric watched as the nurse lifted his urinal carefully off of his lunch tray. It was completely full1,000 cubic centimeters, one full quart of piss and mounding at the top.

The nurse stifled a gag as she slowly made her way into the restroom.

"This damn IV has me swimming!" Eric called after her with a quick laugh.

He heard her pouring his urine into the toilet and felt the urge to go again. It had been dark brown, viscous, and smelled to high heaven like sick wet meat. He really hoped whatever they had him on was working.

She returned from the restroom and replaced Eric's urinal.

"I'll be back when it's time for your medication," she said. "Dinner is in an hour."

With that she left until, she knew too well, the next time Eric grew bored or irritated.

Feeling as anxious as ever, Eric reached for billywig, his blueberry iBook, which had finally charged. He hit the start button and watched Yellow Dog Linux slowly crawl off of the hard drive into RAM.

Thank god this hospital had wifi. Thank god he had an Airport card in his iBook.

http://www.google.com/search?q=brown+piss

"Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown

"Hmm Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown+std

"Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown+and+smells+like+rotting+meat+std

Eric was having no luck. The more he optimized his Google searches, he noted with alarm, the less relevant his search hits became.

foul smelling like decay meat and at times like grated yam. this odor ... and fifth day i see dirth brown dischargeAbnorm

Eric felt his scrotum contract in its latest desperate attempt to keep his testicles warm. This hospital, wherever it was, was damned drafty.

It didn't help that the nurses on his floor, who had been treating Eric like a complete bitch, liked to keep the air conditioning cranked up. Or was it just his room? He noticed they pulled their cardigans and sweaters around them only when they came to see him.

"Nurse! Nurse!" Eric shouted. "Excuse me, nurse?!"

Eric heard a chair creak, followed by footsteps coming down the hall. They were quick around here, one of the only good things Eric had yet noticed. Perhaps it was because of his celebrity status.

"Yes?" the nurse said, crossing her goose-pimpled arms.

"Nurse, it's damn cold in here," Eric said. "And I think my pain medication is wearing off. Can I have some more pills?"

Her beady eyes, set atop wrinkled, puffy cheeks, lasered him in his bed. This was the sixth time Eric had shouted for her since her shift began. She didn't know him well but she was definitely starting to hate him.

"Oh! And my urinal needs emptied!" Eric added.

The nurse pursed her lips and folded her arms without breaking eye contact, "get fucked" in body language.

Eric smiled a crooked, leering grin at her and winked in a bid to charm her into emptying his piss. The nurse wondered if he was about to have another seizure.

She picked up Eric's chart, flipped through it, and replaced it.

"Mr. Raymond," the nurse said, "you're not due for more pain medication for two more hours."

Eric's mustache, orange and drooping, twitched.

"Do you need your bandages looked at?"

Eric shifted in his bed, stiff and uncomfortable. He slowly, awkwardly, stretched his hospital gown down over his knees.

"Nooo, no, no I don't," Eric said. "My bandages are just fine."

"Fine then," the nurse said. "I'll get your urinal. Do you need anything else?"

Eric watched as the nurse lifted his urinal carefully off of his lunch tray. It was completely full1,000 cubic centimeters, one full quart of piss and mounding at the top.

The nurse stifled a gag as she slowly made her way into the restroom.

"This damn IV has me swimming!" Eric called after her with a quick laugh.

He heard her pouring his urine into the toilet and felt the urge to go again. It had been dark brown, viscous, and smelled to high heaven like sick wet meat. He really hoped whatever they had him on was working.

She returned from the restroom and replaced Eric's urinal.

"I'll be back when it's time for your medication," she said. "Dinner is in an hour."

With that she left until, she knew too well, the next time Eric grew bored or irritated.

Feeling as anxious as ever, Eric reached for billywig, his blueberry iBook, which had finally charged. He hit the start button and watched Yellow Dog Linux slowly crawl off of the hard drive into RAM.

Thank god this hospital had wifi. Thank god he had an Airport card in his iBook.

http://www.google.com/search?q=brown+piss

"Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown

"Hmm Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown+std

"Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown+and+smells+like+rotting+meat+std

Eric was having no luck. The more he optimized his Google searches, he noted with alarm, the less relevant his search hits became.

foul smelling like decay meat and at times like grated yam. this odor ... and fifth day i see dirth brown dischargeAbnorm

Eric felt his scrotum contract in its latest desperate attempt to keep his testicles warm. This hospital, wherever it was, was damned drafty.

It didn't help that the nurses on his floor, who had been treating Eric like a complete bitch, liked to keep the air conditioning cranked up. Or was it just his room? He noticed they pulled their cardigans and sweaters around them only when they came to see him.

"Nurse! Nurse!" Eric shouted. "Excuse me, nurse?!"

Eric heard a chair creak, followed by footsteps coming down the hall. They were quick around here, one of the only good things Eric had yet noticed. Perhaps it was because of his celebrity status.

"Yes?" the nurse said, crossing her goose-pimpled arms.

"Nurse, it's damn cold in here," Eric said. "And I think my pain medication is wearing off. Can I have some more pills?"

Her beady eyes, set atop wrinkled, puffy cheeks, lasered him in his bed. This was the sixth time Eric had shouted for her since her shift began. She didn't know him well but she was definitely starting to hate him.

"Oh! And my urinal needs emptied!" Eric added.

The nurse pursed her lips and folded her arms without breaking eye contact, "get fucked" in body language.

Eric smiled a crooked, leering grin at her and winked in a bid to charm her into emptying his piss. The nurse wondered if he was about to have another seizure.

She picked up Eric's chart, flipped through it, and replaced it.

"Mr. Raymond," the nurse said, "you're not due for more pain medication for two more hours."

Eric's mustache, orange and drooping, twitched.

"Do you need your bandages looked at?"

Eric shifted in his bed, stiff and uncomfortable. He slowly, awkwardly, stretched his hospital gown down over his knees.

"Nooo, no, no I don't," Eric said. "My bandages are just fine."

"Fine then," the nurse said. "I'll get your urinal. Do you need anything else?"

Eric watched as the nurse lifted his urinal carefully off of his lunch tray. It was completely full1,000 cubic centimeters, one full quart of piss and mounding at the top.

The nurse stifled a gag as she slowly made her way into the restroom.

"This damn IV has me swimming!" Eric called after her with a quick laugh.

He heard her pouring his urine into the toilet and felt the urge to go again. It had been dark brown, viscous, and smelled to high heaven like sick wet meat. He really hoped whatever they had him on was working.

She returned from the restroom and replaced Eric's urinal.

"I'll be back when it's time for your medication," she said. "Dinner is in an hour."

With that she left until, she knew too well, the next time Eric grew bored or irritated.

Feeling as anxious as ever, Eric reached for billywig, his blueberry iBook, which had finally charged. He hit the start button and watched Yellow Dog Linux slowly crawl off of the hard drive into RAM.

Thank god this hospital had wifi. Thank god he had an Airport card in his iBook.

http://www.google.com/search?q=brown+piss

"Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown

"Hmm Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown+std

"Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown+and+smells+like+rotting+meat+std

Eric was having no luck. The more he optimized his Google searches, he noted with alarm, the less relevant his search hits became.

foul smelling like decay meat and at times like grated yam. this odor ... and fifth day i see dirth brown dischargeAbnorm

Eric felt his scrotum contract in its latest desperate attempt to keep his testicles warm. This hospital, wherever it was, was damned drafty.

It didn't help that the nurses on his floor, who had been treating Eric like a complete bitch, liked to keep the air conditioning cranked up. Or was it just his room? He noticed they pulled their cardigans and sweaters around them only when they came to see him.

"Nurse! Nurse!" Eric shouted. "Excuse me, nurse?!"

Eric heard a chair creak, followed by footsteps coming down the hall. They were quick around here, one of the only good things Eric had yet noticed. Perhaps it was because of his celebrity status.

"Yes?" the nurse said, crossing her goose-pimpled arms.

"Nurse, it's damn cold in here," Eric said. "And I think my pain medication is wearing off. Can I have some more pills?"

Her beady eyes, set atop wrinkled, puffy cheeks, lasered him in his bed. This was the sixth time Eric had shouted for her since her shift began. She didn't know him well but she was definitely starting to hate him.

"Oh! And my urinal needs emptied!" Eric added.

The nurse pursed her lips and folded her arms without breaking eye contact, "get fucked" in body language.

Eric smiled a crooked, leering grin at her and winked in a bid to charm her into emptying his piss. The nurse wondered if he was about to have another seizure.

She picked up Eric's chart, flipped through it, and replaced it.

"Mr. Raymond," the nurse said, "you're not due for more pain medication for two more hours."

Eric's mustache, orange and drooping, twitched.

"Do you need your bandages looked at?"

Eric shifted in his bed, stiff and uncomfortable. He slowly, awkwardly, stretched his hospital gown down over his knees.

"Nooo, no, no I don't," Eric said. "My bandages are just fine."

"Fine then," the nurse said. "I'll get your urinal. Do you need anything else?"

Eric watched as the nurse lifted his urinal carefully off of his lunch tray. It was completely full1,000 cubic centimeters, one full quart of piss and mounding at the top.

The nurse stifled a gag as she slowly made her way into the restroom.

"This damn IV has me swimming!" Eric called after her with a quick laugh.

He heard her pouring his urine into the toilet and felt the urge to go again. It had been dark brown, viscous, and smelled to high heaven like sick wet bad meat. He really hoped whatever they had him on was working.

She returned from the restroom and replaced Eric's urinal.

"I'll be back when it's time for your medication," she said. "Dinner is in an hour."

With that she left until, she knew too well, the next time Eric grew bored or irritated.

Feeling as anxious as ever, Eric reached for billywig, his blueberry iBook, which had finally charged. He hit the start button and watched Yellow Dog Linux slowly crawl off of the hard drive into RAM.

Thank god this hospital had wifi. Thank god he had an Airport card in his iBook.

http://www.google.com/search?q=brown+piss

"Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown

"Hmm Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown+std

"Nope."

http://www.google.com/search?q=my+piss+is+brown+and+smells+like+rotting+meat+std

Eric was having no luck. The more he optimized his Google searches, he noted with alarm, the less relevant his search hits became.

foul smelling like decay meat and at times like grated yam. this odor ... and fifth day i see dirth brown dischargeAb

Apple had a monopoly on powerPC computers.

Not true. The Sam440, Pegasos, and all of the current generation of games consoles would disagree with you here. Non-Apple.

They used it to keep other OS's off PowerPc

Not true. Yellow Dog Linux will happily run on PowerPC Macs, and there are other PPC operating systems available such as AmigaOS, or even Windows NT!

Google has a monopoly on Search

Debatable. They may have a majority, but there are plenty of other search engines out there, such as Yahoo, or even a certain one from Microsoft that's been getting a lot of press lately...

Well, if you got money, you can have 180 GigaFlop (32bit) or 90 GigaFlop (64bit) right now, on a PCI-e card.

http://us.fixstars.com/products/gigaaccel/

It is Cell powered as you may guess. There is also mention of "720 GF computing power" which I can't even dare to think about it. I guess it is when you combine 4 of them. Oh, just $6100 per one :)

I've always liked that IBM ad, though this PS3 oriented Yellow Dog Linux one is fun:

http://us.fixstars.com/showcase/video/

If true, then you can look at some here: http://us.fixstars.com/store/purchase.php and click on PowerStation. Used to be Terrasoft.

And, are desktop POWER machines going to be available with Linux?

Fixstars (formerly Terra Soft) offers a power-based workstation called the PowerStation, running Yellow Dog Linux. I think it's a new product. There was a review in the latest issue of Linux Journal. It mentioned a few problems, including X crashing (but that may have been fixed by now).

YellowDog makes a PowerPC based Linux machine. The latest Linux Journal has a review of it:

http://us.fixstars.com/products/powerstation/
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/10263

Not perfect, but workable.

According to the Japanese site: http://www.fixstars.com/products/gigaaccel180/price.html you can get their CBE card for around 900,000 yen ($9.5k USD), or a million if you get it as part of the Lenovo workstation set.

They charge 45,000 yen per year for a Linux licence (~ $450 USD). Anyone know if they contribute their changes back into the public Yellow Dog distro? http://www.fixstars.com/company/press/20080916.html

http://www.fixstars.com/en/company/press/20080403.html