Microsoft to Sell Cluster-Computer System - Bring Your Crash Helmets

From: B1ackwater (bw_at_barrrk.net)
Date: 11/17/05 

Date: Thu, 17 Nov 2005 12:59:29 GMT

(money.cnn.com)
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp., which built its business by
aiming to put a "computer on every desk" is moving into the high-end
supercomputing market as hardware becomes more affordable, Chairman
Bill Gates said Tuesday.

The world's largest software maker will offer a version of Windows
called "Computer Cluster Server 2003" that offers high performance
computing by tying together several personal computers in a high-speed
network that allows them to crunch huge amounts of data to simulate
weather, analyze DNA and process other research-level tasks.

"Microsoft wants to play a role here," Gates told Supercomputing 2005,
an industry gathering being held in Seattle this week.

Gates said that supercomputers, once considered massive mainframe
machines that only researchers, a few companies and governments could
afford, are becoming smaller and cheaper to the point where a
clustered supercomputer system could be built for as little as
$10,000.

The market for computer clusters built on Intel Corp.'s (Research)
"x86" microprocessors used in more than 90 percent of PCs is growing
at 15 to 20 percent per year, faster than the 11 percent growth in the
PC market, and is expected to swell to as many as 300,000 installed
machines by the end of the decade, Microsoft said.

To tap into that growth and compete against Linux -- the freely
available operating system that is also being used to create clustered
computer systems ...

. . . . .

   Ok ... now just WHY would any SANE person want to buy
   "MS Computer ClusterFuck 2003" when there are a number
   of well-refined clustering solutions based on Linux
   already availible ???

   Well, I'm sure FEMA will be interested ...

   Somewhere, there are already hackers drooling at the
   thought of bringing down 1000 clustered Winders computers
   at one stroke. They'll be ready before MS even launches
   the product ...

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