What's the ultimate purpose of faster computers?

[Naer]

When war poverty and upcoming ecological disasters are still present, I think we're missing the big picture when we upgrade our computers. Perhaps we should slow down. Thoughts?

 

[Cerb]

To simulate human experience and thought sufficiently well that we may find a way to survive the inability for our bodies to survive an ecological collapse (whether that happens or not, the kind of technology that might be needed for such a doomsday scenario is being developed, and they're hoping to use it for the study of mental diseases and disorders in the not so distance future).

Oh, and before anybody else can get a chance: pr0n transcoding and transmission.

Processing our history, by looking at genomes, needs faster computers. It's taking months or years to process the DNA data that can be gathered pretty quickly.

Tons of scientific endeavors need to simulate their possibility before being worth trying. Likewise, industrial implementations need to do the same. CAD software, FI, keeps getting closer an closer to allowing the designers to see how it will act in reality, while whatever they are working on is still nothing more than a string of bytes in a computer.

Cheaper communication. 3rd-world countries are not only getting serviceable leftovers, but modern smartphones, tablets, netbooks, etc., that they can actually afford, and the internet is reaching them.

Then, there's ease of software development and maintenance. All this active web stuff is inefficient as all Hell, but it makes creating reliable software much easier, so more time can be spent on features, keeping up with regulations, or whatever else, rather then dicking about with segfaults, null pointers, and/or the prevention of them, in fairly low level language. But, that old P4 or A64 just can't handle it. Where I work falls into this case--so much of the important software is hosted services, relying on modern web browsers, and needs at least Core 2 level CPU performance to not impede the user.

Finally, entertainment, in the case of video games.

That's off the top of my head, anyway. For the most part, it's that there's consistently somebody that either can't do something, or can't do it well enough, without either more performance, or greater efficiency (in some cases, both, when either cooling or battery tech are the limitations). It's when the new tech comes out that the rest of us can find out about what they were waiting for.

 

[LagunaX]

Pretty much for E-peen on ATOT...

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The ultimate... computer?

No, but seriously - faster better cheaper. The more data you can process in a shorter period of time, the better off you are, whether you're talking about video games or modelling DNA.

In a few more decades, sufficiently powerful computers could be used to develop custom genetic therapies for people, or custom-made drugs, all on demand.

Full VR (what your senses can process) still requires more pixels at higher framerates than a rack of GTX Titans can push. Not to mention synthesizing touch, smell, taste, audio, etc.

Our weather prediction models could always use some more CPU power.

And so on.

 

[Morbus]

Games. That's all there is to it, really? The biggest trouble brought on by war and ecological disasters is that we can't game as often (if we can't), to use spoiled children of the first world. Russia goes to war with Ukraine? ah heck! It's one less grand prix in the F1 calendar this year... There's a storm that sends the country into darkness? ah heck! Can't play BF4... Or Europa Universalis IV in my case.

 

[frozentundra123456]

When war poverty and upcoming ecological disasters are still present, I think we're missing the big picture when we upgrade our computers. Perhaps we should slow down. Thoughts?

Should we then stop buying better TVs, bigger houses, newer, faster or more luxurious cars, better cell phones, and any other new technological advances?

I agree there needs to be some reasonable restraint, but it seems unfair to single out computers when someone driving a huge sport utility for daily use instead of a small, efficient car wastes far more resources(building the vehicle) and energy(poor gas mileage) than a host of people would "waste" upgrading their computers.

Not to mention that newer, faster computers in productivity environments perform more work in less time while using less energy than older ones.

I also dont feel that throwing resources at them will necessarily solve the problems that you cited. For that we need to change human prejudices and long ingrained pattern of behavior, and that is a much more complicated task than simply throwing money at the problem.

 

[Blain]

What's the ultimate purpose of faster computers?

When war poverty and upcoming ecological disasters are still present, I think we're missing the big picture when we upgrade our computers. Perhaps we should slow down. Thoughts?

Higher WEI score

 

[Essence_of_War]

Higher WEI score

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Inveterate love of hot rodding?

 

[Tweakin]

e-peen envey

 

[Torn Mind]

To do whatever task they are tasked to do, of which not all are particularly salient to the general public. In addition, these latest chips also have lower power consumption; the whole process is not necessarily enviromentally-friendly since making the chips require a lot of resources and electricity, but it means lower variable costs for the organization who employs these latest computers.

Lots of tasks used for designing infrastructure use computer software, not hand-drawn pictures for architecture. Same applies to the engineering disciplines.

In addition, all these devices sold feed R&D into process node shrinking, of which "everyone benefits" if the node is shrunk.

 

[ahenkel]

Higher WEI score

I upgraded to windows 8.1 and I have to admit I was a little miffed it has no WEI score even though I know it means barely anything

 

[Morbus]

I upgraded to windows 8.1 and I have to admit I was a little miffed it has no WEI score even though I know it means barely anything

Windows 8.1 dropped it.

The reasons? All tablets are absolute crap and have scores lower than 3 or something, and it's a bit hard to justify paying 1000$ for a 3WEI tablet rather than 600$ for a 6WEI PC...

 

[corkyg]

On the plus side, if we continue to seek faster and more capable computers, we directly contribute to jobs and a better economy.

 

[piasabird]

What I find interesting is almost all computer parts come from China and Asia. I wonder how that happened? I also wonder what happens if China gets into a war? Will the price of computer parts skyrocket?

 

[Ken g6]

The ultimate purpose?

https://filer.case.edu/dts8/thelastq.htm

 

[Morbus]

Almost all good software comes from the west, and its development as well. It's a well known fact that manufacturing will continue to shift towards under developed countries. But obviously the main and most important job will always be done by richer countries. In a very cruel and ironic way (and I say this with no lightness of heart) the current economic situation in this regard is very much like when the slaves worked the mines and the fields, and white people did the... less basic work.

Nothing new.

Unfortunately.

 

[Cerb]

Windows 8.1 dropped it.

The reasons? All tablets are absolute crap and have scores lower than 3 or something, and it's a bit hard to justify paying 1000$ for a 3WEI tablet rather than 600$ for a 6WEI PC...

All tablets don't have poor scores, just the cheap ones. Tablets with Core branded CPUs, and mSATA/M.2 SSDs instead of eSD/eMMC, will fair just fine. WEI was mainly dropped because it became useless by '10 or '11, when any 7200 RPM HDD could meet 5.9, some IGPs >3.0, most dGPUs >5.0, etc.. Even the crap may score decently enough, and little things like background apps and driver changes could change some scores quite a bit, but not relate to real usage.

It was a neat idea, but it would take a lot of effort to keep it giving useful scores, and MS would not see any return for those efforts.

 

[Torn Mind]

What I find interesting is almost all computer parts come from China and Asia. I wonder how that happened? I also wonder what happens if China gets into a war? Will the price of computer parts skyrocket?

Mainland China probably has cheaper labor and more pro-business policies than the U.S. Of course, they have pollution issues and the factory workers are treated not as well. And Chinese bosses have a tendency to be tightwads in even in paying skilled labor.

 

[Torn Mind]

Windows 8.1 dropped it.

The reasons? All tablets are absolute crap and have scores lower than 3 or something, and it's a bit hard to justify paying 1000$ for a 3WEI tablet rather than 600$ for a 6WEI PC...

I have yet to see a dedicated tablet(and not some convertible or other hybrid like the Surface Pro) for $1000 and if there was one, it'd be destroyed by the iPad. But, these convertibles are not going to be pulling in WEI scores of 3.

 

[Morbus]

I have yet to see a dedicated tablet(and not some convertible or other hybrid like the Surface Pro) for $1000 and if there was one, it'd be destroyed by the iPad. But, these convertibles are not going to be pulling in WEI scores of 3.

We're talking Windows 8, so I mentioned the Surface Pro price... But nitpicking aside, I stand by my point: Microsoft dropped WEI because it made it way more obvious how underpowered and weak tablets and netbooks are.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

When war poverty and upcoming ecological disasters are still present, I think we're missing the big picture when we upgrade our computers. Perhaps we should slow down. Thoughts?

If I want bigger pictures I have to buy a bigger screen.

 

[JackMDS]

"What's the ultimate purpose of faster computers?".

Different people in different places have different reasons.

Here it is mainly Bragging Rights.

 

[Squeetard]

When war poverty and upcoming ecological disasters are still present, I think we're missing the big picture when we upgrade our computers. Perhaps we should slow down. Thoughts?

What?

No.