RE: G4 for FACSCalibur - and a plug for Mario!!

From: Fischer, Randy (NIAMS) (fischer1@mail.nih.gov)
Date: Thu Sep 28 2000 - 16:59:18 EST


Paul,

Like you and many others in this world, I have one of the other 90% of the
computers at home.  I do not like it, but the other major occupant of the
household (my wife) required it for her job.  However, like 90% of the Folw
Cytometry users out there, I have a BD instrument that uses a MAC to acquire
and analyze my data.  So, I subscribe to the "do work at work" theory and
use the MAC, which by the way I do prefer.  Mario's (and Adam's) FlowJo
software is a very nice alternative, and any software that is an alternative
to paying big bucks to certain Flow companies should be most heartily
encouraged.

So, let Mario plug away and let the users of the minority instruments tout
their advantages if they wish as well.  That is, if there are any???

Randy Fischer
NIAMS/NIH

> ----------
> From:		J. Paul Robinson
> Reply To:	jpr@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu
> Sent:		Wednesday, September 27, 2000 9:23 PM
> To:	Cytometry Mailing List
> Subject:	Re: G4 for FACSCalibur - and a dig at Mario!!
>
>
> So Mario, when are you going to talk about software that runs on computers
> that
> the other 90% plus that people have.......in terms of world computer
> sales, Apple is right up there at .....4%!!
> Paul
>
> Date sent:		Tue, 26 Sep 2000 16:16:30 -0400
> To: cyto-inbox
> From:			Mario Roederer <Roederer@drmr.com>
> Subject:		Re: G4 for FACSCalibur
>
> >
> > I tested FlowJo for a number of different tasks (e.g.,generating
> > complex graphical layouts; generating large tabular outputs; even
> > analyzing 13-parameter, million-event data files) on G4's vs. G3.
> > The G4 was significantly faster (taking into account the clock
> > speed), even when the program was not G4-optimized.  I also tested a
> > G4-optimized version of FlowJo that takes advantage of the AltiVec
> > instructions (no, not yet commercially available!), and it's another
> > large step up.
> >
> > As more and more applications come out to be AltiVec-aware (and they
> > are!), everyone will realize the enormous speed benefit from this
> > technology.
> >
> > Note that the multi-processing nature of Altivec should not be
> > confused with the multi-processing capability of dual-processor
> > machines (like the new G4 cube).  There's a completely different set
> > of optimizations that programs need to fully take advantage of
> > multi-processor machines (and I'm sure that will be forthcoming in
> > the next year or two as well).
> >
> > Bottom line--G4's are faster, but G3's are a lot cheaper (right now).
> But
> > as more and more applications are Altivec-aware, then there won't be a
> > comparison.
> >
> > mr
> >
> > (PS--Intel-based machines, even the gigaherz processors, don't come
> > close to the G4 capabilities.)
>
>
> J.Paul Robinson, Ph.D.,
> Professor of Immunopharmacology
> Professor of Biomedical Engineering
> Director, Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories
> Hansen Hall, Roon B050
> Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1515
> (Ph) (765) 494-0757  Fax (765) 494-0517
> jpr@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu
>
> http://www.cyto.purdue.edu
>
> http://www.bioscope.org
>
>



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