HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: fineberg@nas.nasa.gov (Samuel A. Fineberg)
Subject: Re: what is MPP-256(1Q93)
Apparently-To: comp-parallel@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Reply-To: fineberg@nas.nasa.gov
Organization: CSC, NASA Ames Research Center, NAS Division
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 93 23:37:03 GMT

In article <1993Jan20.124758.8100@hubcap.clemson.edu>, jtrsmith@garnet.berkeley.edu () writes:
|> Hi, Sir,
|> I am not familiar with supercomputers, although I have used Cray XMP
|> in the campus.
|> 
|> I have following questions about supercomputers, if you can give me
|> any ideas, I should be grateful.
|> 
|> (1) one is the subject, what is MPP-256(1Q93), who makes it? 
|> (2) we have a account on CM-5 in the campus 
|>     We are now trying to change our Fortran programs to be used in the
|>     machine. The program is used to run on the campus Cray which is gone
|>     because of tight budget. The program is for large scale 
|>     computational fluid dynamics.
|>     My second question is: 
|>     Is it worth changing the program for the use on CM-5? Because I
|>     am not sure the direction of supercomputers. I am afraid that after
|>     the change, the program can not be used on other machines, such
|>     as Cray, and other parallel machines, like n-Cube. Then it will
|>     waste our time and money.
|> (3) I know the FORTRAN of Cray is very close to Fortran used on small
|>     machines. But I dont know the FORTRANs on these parallel machines
|>     like, CM, n-cube, etc, are portable, are they?
|> 
|> Thanks.
|> John
|> 
If you have the vector units, it is probably worth trying the CM5.  It is
relatively easy to do a painless (read slow) port from a Cray code to CM-FORTRAN
that will perform better than your average workstation.  How much otimization
you want to do, is another story.  If you stick to FORTRAN-90 or HPF extensions
of FORTRAN, you won't have to do much to port it to future systems (virtually
all new systems claim to be supporting HPF including Intel, Cray, Convex, KSR,
etc.), though you probably won't get optimal performance.

Sam

P.S., an MPP-256 is Cray's parallel machine and I wouldn't worry too much about
writing code that will work on an nCUBE, they probably won't be around for long.

Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: shubu@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Shubhendu S. Mukherjee)
Subject: Simulator for Monsoon/Dataflow machines
Organization: U of Wisconsin Madison - Computer Sciences
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 01:43:51 GMT


Is there a public-domain simulator for dataflow machines?  In particular, I
am interested in knowing whether there is a simulator available for Monsoon.  
I heard Arvind's group has a simulator called Geeta.  Is it publicly 
available?

Thanks.
-Shubu
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shubhendu Sekhar Mukherjee 	 University of Wisconsin @ Madison, C.Sc.
Net:shubu@cs.{wisc,utexas}.edu   [W]:(608) 262-6607    [H]:(608) 255-6322

Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: chandra@austin.ibm.com (Chandrasekhar Narayanaswami)
Subject: old Sequent programs on new Sequent machines
Originator: chandra@arjuna.austin.ibm.com
Reply-To: chandra@austin.ibm.com
Organization: IBM Advanced Workstation Division
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 16:00:49 GMT


hi,

Has anyone had experience in porting parallel programs
written for the Sequent Balance 21000 to the newer
Sequent machines?  How much of a pain is it?

Thanks
-- 

Chandra
---------------------------------------------------------------
IBM here means I Become Myself, i.e. I don't speak for IBM Corp.

Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: maniattb@cs.rpi.edu (Bill Maniatty)
Subject: Re: Wanted: Folk Theormes in Fortran Programming
Apparently-To: comp-parallel@cis.ohio-state.edu
Organization: Clemson University
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 03:12:31 GMT

Horner's method for polynomial evaluation is usually a good idea.

(I'm not a Fortran Expert, so I'll use psuedocode)
f = a[0] + a[1] * x + a[2] * x**2 + a[3] * x**3 + ... + a[n] * x ** n

The brute force method takes 0 + 1 + 2 + ... + n multiplies, to compute the
various powers of x, that is O(n**2) multiplications.

We now consider a smarter way, which uses intermediate results:

f = a[0] + x * (a[1] + x *( a[2] + x * ( ... )))

We see that we have O(n) multiplications, with no extra additions.
I suspect that this has the added bonus of being better numerically in that
fewer multiplications will tend to reduce roundoff error.

You can also do some smart things like eliminating induction variables,
constant subexpression elimination, common subexpression elimination,
dead code elimination, etc.  This can be found in the Red Dragon book
by Aho, Sethi, and Ullman.  The basic ideas are simple, but the implementation
details can be a bit tricky.

Bill
-- 
|
|	maniattb@cs.rpi.edu - in real life Bill Maniatty
|

Newsgroups: comp.parallel,comp.unix.aix,comp.sys.super
From: steve@hubcap.clemson.edu ("Steve" Stevenson)
Subject: Wanted: Folk Theormes in Fortran Programming
Organization: Clemson University
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 16:49:39 GMT

I am trying to make a catalog of folk wisdom in fortran programming. I already
have a some theorems.  For example:
        BAD           GOOD
x = y/2.0          x=y*0.5
a**5               (a*a)*(a*a)*a
2.0*x              x+x

I would appreciate any such words of wisdom you might have.
I'll collect and broadcast a compilation.


Steve


-- 
===============================================================================
Steve (really "D. E.") Stevenson           steve@hubcap.clemson.edu
Department of Computer Science,            (803)656-5880.mabell
Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-1906

Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: jjackson@tiger.carl.ua.edu (Jeff Jackson)
Subject: Problems obtaining PVM. 
Organization: The University of Alabama
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 16:27:59 GMT

I have recently had problems trying to obtain PVM from netlib.
I used the mail procedure with "send pvm" but have yet to receive
any response.  I do not believe there are any mailer problems on my
end as I have received info from netlib before.  Has anyone had
similar problems?  Are there any ftp sites where PVM may be obtained?
What is the latest release available?

Thanks in advance.
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Jeff Jackson                         Internet: jjackson@tiger.carl.ua.edu
Electrical Engineering Dept.                                    (130.160.48.25)
P.O. Box 870286
The University of Alabama                The Computer Architecture Research Lab
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0286
Phone: (205) 348-2919
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: Simon.N.Smith@cm.cf.ac.uk (Simon N Smith)
Subject: whereabouts of tools
Keywords: faust pat ptool parascope
Organization: University of Wales College of Cardiff, Cardiff, WALES, UK.
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 12:06:03 +0000

Hi all,

I'm looking for the following software tools, preferably on an ftp site:

- faust     [1]
- pat       [2]
- ptool     
- parascope [3]

If some of these are not freely available, I'd appreciate being told that too!

Many thanks,

Simon

Perhaps a FAQ of sites for current software tools for parallel programming
would be useful?

[There are some tools, like express, noted in the FAQ on parlib. I will
 be glad to add any sections that you come up with

 steve
]

[1]
@article{faust,
   author  = {D. Gannon and Y. Gaur and V. Guarna and D. Jablonowski and
             A. Malony},
   journal = {IEEE Software},
   month   = jul,
   pages   = {20--27},
   title   = {{FAUST}: an {I}ntegrated {E}nvironment for {P}arallel 
             {P}rogramming},
   year    = {1989}
}

[2]
@article{start/pat,
   author  = {William Appelbe and Charles McDowell and Kevin Smith},
   journal = {IEEE Software},
   month   = jul,
   pages   = {29--38},
   title   = {{Start/Pat}: a {P}arallel {P}rogramming {T}oolkit},
   year    = {1989}
}

[3]
@article{ken:para,
   author  = {Ken Kennedy and Kathryn McKinley and Chau-Wen Tseng},
   journal = {IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems},
   month   = jul,
   number  = {3},
   pages   = {329--341},
   title   = {Interactive {P}arallel {P}rogramming using the {ParaScope} 
             {E}ditor},
   volume  = {2},
   year    = {1991}
}

-- 
Simon N. McIntosh-Smith, PhD candidate    |  Email : Simon.N.Smith@cm.cf.ac.uk
Department of Computing Mathematics,      |  Phone : +44 (0)222 874000
University of Wales, College of Cardiff,  |  Fax   : +44 (0)222 666182
Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom            |

Newsgroups: comp.parallel
From: mott@mprgate.mpr.ca (Jenni Mott)
Subject: Re: A gaggle of geese, a pride of lions, a pack of wolves...
Organization: MPR Teltech Ltd.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 00:08:15 GMT

Brad Smallridge (bsmall@iat.holonet.net) wrote:
:> Great! If Asimov used the term "Pod" than I think I'll use it. Too bad I
:> didn't think of it first but then Asimov been thinking longer and better
:> than I.
:> 
:> Brad Smallridge
:> 
:> 

A Pod of Robots ... Definitely the best option I've heard so far.  I
think I'll use it too.  (3 cheers for I. Asimov! ;-) )

--
Jenni Mott (mott@sfu.ca OR mott@mprgate.mpr.ca)	      | When in trouble,
Comp. Eng. Co-Op, Simon Fraser University,	      |    When in doubt ...
MPR Teltech Ltd, Broadband Communications Div.	      | Run in circles,
ALL comments are mine, so don't give THEM any credit! |    Scream and Shout!
From: epperson@adobe.com (Mark Epperson)
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Re: Crazy about legs
Date: 27 Jan 93 19:02:33 GMT
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated

In article <1993Jan27.043305.7387@sbcs.sunysb.edu> shane@cs.sunysb.edu (Shane Bouslough) writes:
>I've been thinking a lot about legs recently (don't we all? :-).
>If you're going to do a nice leg, say Brooksian, it seems like
>you'd need about one miniboard per. If you use 6 legs on your
>beastie, that's quite a few miniboards. Is that a good way to go?
>Or is something a bit more powerful a better idea?

I have been looking at this same problem (I have been designing a 6 legged
walking robot) and have come to the conclusion that the simplest/least expensive
solution is to use one of the dedicated stepper-motor controller chips.  At
about $10 a pop + $15 for a stepper motor, it will cost me only $75 per leg
(excluding the mechanicals).  Further, the each motor can be controlled by
2 bits (step and direction) thus allowing all 18 motors to be controlled by only
36 TTL outputs.

Mark Epperson
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: garym@ie.utoronto.ca (Gary Murphy)
Subject: neural nets using programmable logic arrays ...
Summary: an alternative to BP networks
Keywords: neural_nets adaptive_logic_networks
Organization: University of Toronto, Department of Industrial Engineering
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 02:46:39 GMT

I don't know about the hughes chip (sounds interesting) but I do know
the adaptive logic networks can be implemented using standard
programmable logic arrays; what follows is Bill Armstrong's
announcement of the expiration of the ALN patent on these hardware
nets:

Newsgroups: comp.ai
From: skwong@cuse1.se.cuhk.hk (Wong Sai Kee (Graduate Assistant))
Subject: A tutorial on "Robotic" using hyperCard & Macintalk.
Organization: Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese U. of Hong Kong
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 10:03:54 GMT

I am currently developing a hypercard stack (in Macintosh) for
teaching elementary concepts on robotic.  It is intended for use in
an undergraduate course in our faculty.  It will include instructions
in dealing with the ESHED ROBOTEC's ER5 & ER7 robot arm.  If it succeeded,
I will post it to the public.

I order not to re-invent the wheel, is such beast already in exists?

Another problem is: I want to include speech in the stack.  I had
tried the MacinTalk Stack v4.0 form Nigel Perry but it is buggy,
it always hang.  Is there any solution?  Where can I get the information
to write my XCMD using MacinTalk?

Thanks!

Mr.Sai-Kee WONG
skwong@se.cuhk.hk
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: kilian@cray.com (Alan Kilian)
Subject: Whiskers the robot and its design
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 28 Jan 93 12:51:16 CST

Don Golding is selling a robot called "Whiskers". It sounds quite cute to me. 

If I had had $400.00 when I was is highschool I probably would have gotten
one of these.

Not everyone can build a robot. Not everyone can do the mechanical design
necessary to get a robot moving reliably. I still find this the hardest
part of robotics and I have built several machines in the last 15 years.

Please give us some more information about the design of Whiskers.

1) What motor controllers do you use?
2) How do you do microphone input? What micropone/amp design?
3) What is the design of the optical collision detector? I still have
   problems with mine. They don't work until an object is about 2 inchec away
   and then it is sometimes too late.

Now a plea: Please Please Please stop acting superior about your product.
It does you more damage than good. This is a really nice group (Generally)
and if you don't misbehave you'll get along fine. The only posts I see from
you are advertisements. You must have tons of information that this group
can use if you have designed a robot and are marketing it. Please start
sharing it any you will get more orders than you can handle. I'm sure that
Dave Dunfield got a few dozen orders for his "C" development system just from
the Miniboard talk and no one complained about that did they? That's because
1) Dave didn't advertise his products here, he got other satisfied customers
   to do it for him.
2) No one was answering requests for another development system by saying
   "Dave Dunfield has a better one so buy it instead of that trash"

I will repeat my plea: Please start posting information about Whiskers'
design. If you can post schematics and parts lists. If you think that this
is proprietary information and aren't willing to share it then just quit
posting altogether.

                  -Alan Kilian

-- 
 -Alan Kilian           kilian@cray.com 612.683.5499 (Work) 612.721.3990 (Home)
 "It is a little hard to tell the difference between a machine that doesn't
  work and a machine that doesn't exist." -Martin Walker quoting someone else
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: fredm@media.mit.edu (Fred G Martin)
Subject: Re: Request for DLM for Macintosh
Organization: MIT Media Laboratory
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 17:38:57 GMT

In article <1993Jan21.105951.52690@gmuvax.gmu.edu>
klambrec@gmuvax.gmu.edu writes: 

>Does anyone know where I can get a copy of a MACINTOSH program that will
>let me download code to my miniboard?  I'm looking for something comparable
>to DLM.EXE.  

Try "dlm.sit.hqx" in pub/miniboard/mac on cherupakha.media.mit.edu.
Good luck.

	- Fred
From: feng@srvr1 (Liqiang Feng, )
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Tracked mobile robot dead-reckoning
Date: 25 Jan 1993 17:32:38 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: chiling.engin.umich.edu
Originator: feng@chiling.engin.umich.edu

I am working on the navigation problem for a tracked vehicle. The dead-reckoning 
based on drive motor encoders does not work really well because of the slippage and 
skid when the robot turns. I do not have much experience working with tracked vehicles. 
Are there any good solutions to this problem? Have anyone used those absolute 
velocity sensor or accelerometers to measure the absolute motion of the vehicle 
directly? Any good or bad experience with them? Has anyone used some cheap gyros, 
such as those used in model planes, to measure the orientation of a robot? Any 
experience or reference with them? Thanks a lot. 

My E-mail address: feng@engin.umich.edu

L. Feng
From: graesserac@memstvx1.memst.edu
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: Re: Tracked mobile robot dead-reckoning
Date: 26 Jan 93 18:39:38 -0600
Distribution: world
Organization: Memphis State University

In article <1993Jan25.184635.11631@netcom.com>, nagle@netcom.com (John Nagle) writes:
> feng@srvr1 (Liqiang Feng, ) writes:
> 
>>I am working on the navigation problem for a tracked vehicle. 
>   
>       You need a heading reference.  A magnetic compass (flux-gate, 
> presumably) or a heading gyro should do it.  You can often keep track
> of distance travelled by dead-reckoning, but small errors in heading
> have large effects after you've travelled any distance, so you need a
> heading reference.
> 
>       					John Nagle


I am also working on this problem (in my head for now, implementation later).
I was thinking.  When the robot is activated, one could program the assumption
that straight ahead is zero.  Then, using vectors, one could compute direction
based on diameter of each wheel, voltage applied to each motor (velocity), and
change in acceleration.  This assumes a basic acceleration is known...of
course, the thing probably isnt going to go very fast at all, so one could
assume a constant acceleration.  Treat each drive wheel as a seperate vector,
then dead reckon via vector calculations.  Of course, it still falls prey to
small errors btw. model and real world, but if the robot gets 'lost', it could
just re-assume a zero and begin dead reckoning again.  This assumes the robot
has a target to reach.  This would imply a) the robot has an internal
representation of its environment (try that with fred's miniboard!), or there
is some external stimuli it is searching for.  If the latter, consider the
'lost' case one in which the target can no longer be sensed.  a vector can
be kept in memory keeping track of the target;  if contact is lost, assume the
last target vector as the new zero and compensate until target is regained,
then recalibrate the target vector.

Of course, I haven't done this, but it strikes me as similar to Rodney 
Brook's method in a few of his subsumption architecture robots...(from the
brief descriptions I've read and heard him give...)

'will think for food'

Mark C. Langston
langston@memstvx1.memst.edu (still inop)
graesserac@memstvx1.memst.edu (my prof's, I'm reachable via it)
fugue@mindvox.phantom.com (but I don't check this every day)

ttfn


Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: tim@iss.nus.sg (Tim Poston)
Subject: Re: A gaggle of geese, a pride of lions, a pack of wolves...
Organization: Institute of Systems Science, NUS, Singapore
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 03:47:22 GMT

jl3j+@andrew.cmu.edu (John Robert Leavitt) writes:
: >Isn't "robot" from the Slavic root for "worker".
: 
: Actually, I believe it is from the Russian word "rabotnik" == worker,
Nope, it's from the Czech; a book `RUR' by Karel \v{C}apek,
title short for "Rustum's Universal Robots" --- I don't know
the exact Czech form.  The Russian, by the way, is spelled
with a Russian o as first vowel, only pronounced `a' because
it's before the stress.  OK to transliterate as `rabotnik',
I suppose, but only if you write the Russian president's given
name as `Baris' --- the same shift happens there.

Tim

Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: ted@nmsu.edu (Ted Dunning)
Subject: Re: A gaggle of geese, a pride of lions, a pack of wolves...
Organization: Computing Research Lab
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 16:18:42 GMT



In article <kfN6R9O00WB51Zmmsg@andrew.cmu.edu> John Robert Leavitt <jl3j+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:

   >:  Actually, I believe it is from the Russian word "rabotnik" == worker,
   >
   >The Russian, by the way, is spelled
   >with a Russian o as first vowel, only pronounced `a' because
   >it's before the stress.  OK to transliterate as `rabotnik',
   >I suppose, but only if you write the Russian president's given
   >name as `Baris' --- the same shift happens there.

   Um, excuse me, but no.  The Russian word is spelled "AIR" "AH" "BEH"
   "OH" "TEH" "EN" "EE" "KAH".  I know about the pesky unstressed vowel

	...

   Follow-ups to alt.language.russian.pedantic

uhhh... 


robot is derived from the *czech* word robotnik (same alphabet.. you
decide if it is transliterated correctly).  carel capek was czech.
R.U.R. was a *czech* play.

it doesn't matter how you would write it in russian.
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: jony@microsoft.com (Jonny Yeargers)
Subject: 6811 questions
Date: 27 Jan 93 17:31:59 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corp.
Distribution: usa

1)I have read about the Motorola BBS (supposedly containing assemblers,
and other useful programs for the 6811) Can someone post the phone # and
communication params? (baud, stop bits, parity, etc)

2)Are there samples of C/IC code for the 6.27 and/or miniboard? Relevant
assembler code is also welcome. - post an FTP site if its relevant.

3)6.27 parts suppliers - any suggestions? any company to steer clear of?

Thanks, JonY@microsoft.com
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: jsodero@dres.dnd.ca (Jim Sodero)
Subject: Re: SSPS-105 servo moters
Keywords: servo moters
Reply-To: jsodero@dres.dnd.ca
Organization: Defence Research Establishment Suffield
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 20:35:58 GMT

I have an urgent requirement for some information regarding a supplier for
SSPS-105 servo moters, I believe made by Seiko in Japan.  We have ordered a
number of these servos from a company and have already designed them into some 
high priority equipment with the promise we would get quick delivery, but now
we are having great difficulty getting in touch with the company.  If anyone
knows of another distributer for these servos please email me. We have an urgent
requirement for about twenty servos.

-- 

James Sodero (DND/CRAD/DRES/DTD/MSS/AGCG)                jsodero@dres.dnd.ca
(403) 544-4737     DRE Suffield, Box 4000, Medicine Hat, AB, Canada, T1A 8K6
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
From: park@netcom.com (Bill Park)
Subject: Samsung, Panasonic, Lawn Ranger home robots?
Followup-To: comp.robotics
Summary: Are they being sold or not?
Keywords: Panasonic, Samsung, Scout-About, domestic mobile security robot, cleaning robot
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 07:24:15 GMT

Can anyone tell me who to talk to in Panasonic and Samsung to find out the
status of their domestic mobile robots?

The Panasonic robot was demonstrated on --as I recall-- the Regis and
Cathy morning TV talk show last year some time.  It's a domestic floor
cleaning robot that looks like a toaster on steroids.  They said that
Panasonic was not planning to sell it at that time.

The Samsung "Scout-About" robot is an indoor domestic security patrol
robot, priced about $1,000.  It was shown in Fortune, July 15, 1991,
page 110, and in Popular Machinics, October 1991, page 121.

I've called both Panasonic and Samsung offices in the U.S., but they
were unaware of these products.

If these products are not being actively marketed, I'd like to know
what factors led their developers to that decision.

Also, what is the name, address, and/or phone number of the company
that makes the Lawn Ranger robot lawnmower.  It took first prize on
the television show "Why Didn't I Think of That?" this weekend, but I
tuned in too late to get any information about it.  An article in
Popular Science, August 1990, page 44 siad the vendor then was
Technical Solutions, Inc., Box 284, Damascus, Maryland, 20872, but the
phone company has no listing for that company in that city any more.

Thanks for any leads.

Bill Park
=========
-- 
Grandpaw Bill's High Technology Consulting & Live Bait, Inc.
From: bleck@mobot.ai.mit.edu (Olaf Bleck)
Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Subject: 1800-BUY-LEGO  (not quite)
Date: 21 Jan 1993 06:00:03 GMT
Organization: MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Distribution: world
Reply-To: bleck@ai.mit.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: mobot.ai.mit.edu



To answer a recent question on where to buy lego--

Call the Lego Hotline!

203-763-6800  (24hrs!)
555 Tylor Rd
P.O. Box 1310
Enfield, CT 06083

My last catalog was the holiday catalog, and boasted 20% off orders of $30 or
more.  Don't know how prices compare...

Anyhow, it has a bunch of the kits in it, and also individual oddball parts. 
There's also a magazine called "Brick Kicks".

-Olaf