CPU DB: Looking At 40 Years of Processor Improvements 113
CowboyRobot writes "Stanford's CPU DB project (cpudb.stanford.edu) is like an open IMDB for microprocessors. Processors have come a long way from the Intel 4004 in 1971, with a clock speed of 740KHz, and CPU DB shows the details of where and when the gains have occured. More importantly, by looking at hundreds of processors over decades, researchers are able to separate the effect of technology scaling from improvements in say, software. The public is encouraged to contribute to the project."
Seems rather limited to Intel. (Score:5, Insightful)
Processors did exist before Intel. IBM, Sperry, Amdal, Burroughs, DEC, Honeywell...
And the speed improvement there paved the way for Intel.
for an "IMDB" of processors, it really needs to include others - ARM, AMD (though that might be covered by the Intel) and still others exist. The DSP processors are also significant as many improvements there migrated to other implementations.
Much needed catalogging (Score:4, Insightful)
Technology, as it is today, is all too fleeting. New technology is being pushed out at an ever increasing rate with the new products quickly supplanting the old. The old is then quickly forgotten. I applaud the effort of this group in its work to keep a living record of the heart of the machines that have been the core of most of lives for almost half a century.
On a slightly note, I believe we need better cataloging of technology in general as many old file are effectively being lost due the technology require to read them no long exist. Of course this raises further questions of how to maintain such cataloging as the cataloging infrastructure ages so that the data doesn't get lost. Oh what a vicious cycle it is.
Re:Improving software (Score:3, Insightful)
Software 'Improves' to use up all that performance gain BEFORE the next CPU Improvement appears.
i.e. Software Bloat uses up all the gains at a quicker rate than the H/W can give it.