RE: Think before you buy....

["Farmer" <pharmer@domain.elided>]

Tony Urban wrote:
> The IBM SP2 reference brought this link into my memory:
> http://www.computerworld.com/home/print.nsf/all/990503linux
>
> Basically, Linux running on 32 clustered Pentium's matched the
> performance of
> an SP2 for 1/20th of the (leased) price.  Very interesting.

It's marketing hype.  They appear to be comparing apples to oranges: a three
year old MPP isn't comparable with a new SMP.  The 66 mhz RS/6000s from 3
years ago are much slower than the modern RS/6000s, and much slower than the
400 mhz intel cpus.  Of course the IBMs are RISCs, but still.  Also, AIX 4.2
is something like 20% faster than 4.1.  Plus, the SP can maintain 99.99%
uptime, I'd be surprised if the Linex cluster could sustain 98% uptime.
Lastly, this is a computational application.  I don't think you could even
put a big database on the Beowulf.


> Scout related:
>
> I installed a straight-steer brace on my Scout last weekend and
> it made a nice difference in on-the-road handling.  I think I've
> almost got all of the kinks out of the steering except for readjusting
> the gearbox.  I don't have all of the necessary torque measuring devices
> necessary for proper measurement.  I may also add a drop-pitman arm to
> reduce bump steer (which isn't that bad anymore, but it bothers my SO).

I didn't get much of an improvement, my problems were primarily caster & the
draglink angle.  I'm not going the route of the drop-pitman arm however, I
enjoy having a small turning radius.  My bump-steer still bothers me, and
I'd like to follow in Tom Mandera & Darrel Klines footsteps with the custom
hi-mount at the knuckle.

> And I think I'm going to roll my bed with one of the
> do-it-yourself liner kits; Durabak, Lava, etc.

I got new steel last year, and I'm finally getting around to coating it.
Arg.  Anyway, I just ordered about $70 of POR-15 products to provide 2 coats
of rustproof paint, and 2 coats of primer.  Then I will need to decide what
to do next.  All those coats use chemical bonds to adhere, so if I do
everything right, it should be a very tough & waterproof coating.  Then I
need to come to a decision about the next step:  speedliner or carpet.  The
speedliner colors that seem to have the best record are limited (something
like black, red, white, gray), and a carpet is just going to fill up with my
kids food.  But I need something - it's too loud to hold a conversation in
there without a carpet pad & carpet.

Ken Farmer
1980 Scout II
1975 Travelall
1974 Travelall