[Beowulf] Linux laptops, and M$ advertisement

[Jeffrey B. Layton]

Peter St. John wrote:
>
>     >
>     > The ad is
>     http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/facts/default.mspx?R=cf
>     <http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver/facts/default.mspx?R=cf>
>     >
>     > The testamonials all seem to be equivalent to "I"m a PhD in Rocket
>     > Science but setting up a Linux Cluster is too complex, so using
>     MS saves
>
>     Yeah, well ...
>
>     > me time to do Rocket Science". None of them mention if their MS
>     clusters
>     > were in any way subsidized by MS. Also, I assume that
>     essentially they
>
>     Lets ask CTC, UIUC and others.
>
>  
> Yes yes. That's what I've been trying to drive at. I'd like to see 
> someone (not necessarily an aeronautical engineer, but generally, a 
> Rocket Scientist Type) write in (to us) and say, "we had a capital 
> improvement budget of $X and a operationg budget projection of  $Y/yr 
> to compute simulations of combing the hair on fibre bundles on worm 
> holes, and we chose Microsoft Cluster Clux, spending Z per node on 
> licensing and hardware ABC, and we believe this is economical compared 
> to Linux Flavor Du Jour X.3 on hardware DEF because of ..." etc. As 
> opposed to someone receiving a kajillion dollars of equipment at their 
> non-profit lab and understandably responding with a quotable thank-you 
> note. Not that that is what happened in all the testimonial cases 
> cited, I wouldn't know.
>  
> I think we should make a video (RGB can write the script) with 
> interviews and demos from a  bunch of Rocket Science places, and pitch 
> it to the History Channel ("Modern Marvels") or the Discovery Channel 
> or someplace, to raise money for a Refactor Linux Before the Imminent 
> Singularity project.

Being one of those proverbial "Rocket Scientists" I can give some 
evidence. It's
not about Microsoft per say, but about older large HPC vendors. Also, I 
can give
some evidence about Linux desktops vs. Microsoft desktops. :)

Jeff

P.S. My kids love to tell their friends that I'm a "Rocket Scientist". 
Actually my
wife does as well. Of course I get no respect from anyone in the house :)