From: mdchaney@fractal.ucs.indiana.edu (M Darrin Chaney)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.dec,comp.os.vms,comp.unix.ultrix
Subject: Re: Digital News and Review's irresponsible attitude
Date: 8 Sep 92 19:09:32 GMT
Distribution: world,local
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington

(I'm not sure about the authors here.  Richard Head (probably called
"Dick" by those who have the displeasure of working with him) definitely
wrote the last piece, and I Greg Pavlov is the person who he attempts
to flame.  Richard's comments are the ones with a single ">", and Greg's
are the ones with ">#>")

(Richard Head) writes:
>pavlov@niktow.canisius.edu (Greg Pavlov) writes:
>#>richard@npri6.npri.com (Richard Head) writes:
>#>> 
>#>> The only possible good thing I can think of that may arise from this 
>#>> transition is if Digital Review would only stop using the brain-dead
>#>> term "MicroVUPs".  Use VUPs of SPECmarks or whatever.  The use of
>#>> MicroVUPs was (I think) started and propagated by Digital Review, and
>#>> as far as I can tell, they are the only ones that use it.
>#>> -- 
>#
>#>   So what's the big deal about the units they use ? "Brain dead" ?
>
>It isn't a big deal.  It's just Stupid.  When you buy a car, do you want
>to hear how many miles per imperial gallon it gets?  When you buy a battery
>for your car, do you want to know how many fortnights it will last?  Stupid.

Your analogy lacks about as much thought as your entire post.  In one way,
that's not surprising.  But, when one considers the extraordinary
lameness of this tripe that your news posting service has mistaken for
an article, that's quite an accomplishment.

Anyway, the VUP is a unit of power.  The closest analogy in the area of
cars would be the amount of power that the engine provides.  This is
usually stated in horsepower, but the other unit of power, the watt,
would work just as well.

Granted, I know what horsepower is.  If I see a car with a 35 horsepower
engine that gets 20 MPG, I know something is wrong.  If I saw a car capable
of 35 watts and 20 MPG, I'd have no idea as to whether that is good, bad,
or average.  Computers are quite different.

It's nice to have the unit of power in a unit that you are familiar with.
However, if you are comparing a group of computers (or cars), the units
are irrelevant.  You can tell by looking at the numbers that computer X
is 5 times as "fast" as computer Y.  To me, Specmarks mean something.
VUPs and MVUPs are only good for comparisons.  For that reason, I don't
think MVUPs are any worse than VUPs.

All of DR's reviews are based on relative stats.  The machines capable of X
are always shown with stats relative to a DS3000.

At any rate, Greg sure as hell isn't "Stupid" for his post.

>#>  What is a "VUP" anyway ?  
>
>Is this a serious question, or are you just demonstrating how Stupid you are?

Is it coffee, Richard?  Too much isn't good for the nerves, you know.

>#> For a long time, the uVAX II had the largest in-
>#>  stalled base of any VAX.  
>
>Really?  Care to quantify what you mean by a "long time"?  Last time I 
>checked, the MVII sold well from 87-89, but since then, I'm sure it has
>been overtaken by MV3100, VAXstation 3100, etc.  Maybe a long time when
>compared to your attention span.

So?  Is it any worse a comparison point than the VAX-11/780?

>#>It made good sense to state relative performance
>#>  in uVAX terms.  
>
>Bullshit.

Not at all.  No more Bullshit than stating it in terms of a 780.  Relative
performance is the same regardless of unit.

>#>Continuing to use it as a unit is no more irrational than
>#>  using the VAX 780 (in VUPS and SPECmarks).  
>
>You moron.  SPECmarks are used as a general standard by all computer
>manufacturers to give potential customers an idea how their machine may
>compare to a machine from another vendor.  What does an HP/IBM customer care
>how many "MicroVUPs" a VAX has?  They want to know how many SPECmarks it
>has so they can compare it to machines from other vendors. 

You might notice that Digital doesn't use MVUPs.  They are the ones selling
the machines.  What does this paragraph have to do with DR or Greg?

You, Richard, are the moron.  I'd suggest less coffee and more sleep.  Or,
if you insist on continuing these "Stupid" postings, put "local" on the
distribution line.  For practice, flame yourself, and read all of
Ehud's postings from the last three years.  But, please spare us all the
shit that you've posted here.

	Darrin
-- 

mdchaney@iubacs mdchaney@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu mdchaney@rose.ucs.indiana.edu

"It's a marvel of vegetable containment..."
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