'to calculate protein sequences'

Come again? To run BLASTp searches or to simulate protein folding? Or is it just plain old structural homology modelling?

n/m

Someone over there doesn't know how to do basic math. *One* Xserve G5 has the potential to do 16 Gflops. 2Ghz * 2FPUs * 2Ops/Cycle * 2Cpus = 16Gflops. So 4 Xserves (assuming 4 duals here) can do up to 64Gflops theoretical.

If it took 4 to do 16Gflops then VT would have needed 4400 PowerMacs - their theoretical is 17.6 Tflops or 16Gflops * 1100 =).

in reality, the 4 machines probably only do 16....lol

Apple shares must be soaring.... Buy Buy Buy

This is Norway we're talking. 4 XServes give Apple a market share of 33% this quarter, leading to one XServe per 22 people for the entire country. Looks more impressive now, doesn't it.....

You want to see a CLUSTER just look at Disney and the Eisner thing. Now there is a Cluster!!!!!

this purchase is just RIPE to spur a 10-15 person Norwegian clusterfuck.

Apple is in a completely different situation in Europe. In Europe Apple machines are much more expensive, than "no name brand" PCs...something Europe has a ton of. This computer (you can even call it cluster) is good news, since some university is looking at buying an Apple computer to do science. Apple is getting better at that, and in microbiology many institues actually prefer Apple computers because of their computing capabilities.

Hey kids, instead of bitching about what MacNN does or doesn't report, why don't you just read the article and move on? What's more of a waste of your time: reading an article that doesn't end up being incredibly interesting or 2) Reading that same article and writing a whiny comment about it?

Personally, I found it rather interesting and I'm glad MacNN wrote it. You guys are just RIPE to re-prioritize your lives.

it seems to me that those who knock 'only' 4 xservers are dumbasses..

Q: how many do you have sequencing DNA?
thats what i thought.. shut up and get back to domb..

maybe next week they can add 4 more, and then 4 more and so on..

i started out w/ 2 and now i have 23, 25 if you count the 2 'spares'.. im making so much money on this per month renting out time to 'clients' its scary..

i say go UB!

That's Arginine-Isoleucine-Proline-Glutamate for all you non-biologists out there

Seeing as I'm from Bergen, let me break it down for you...

Apple's marketshare in Norway is next to nothing. So ANY news about a university buying Apple hardware is good news...2nd...basic dual processor starts at 38k, NOK...that is roughly 5.5K US $. That's a truckload of money...needless to say...get out of your fsking "compare this to Virginia mode" and take it for what it really is: A chance for the university to test Apple hardware, evaluate it and hopefully purchase more.

-out

To all you cynics out there - I'm the guy who first reported this story, and did it for a reason.
The ugly truth is that Apple's slow but steady decline in the educational institutions should be a cause for concern for all of us.
Here at the University of Bergen the students are mostly using Windows and Linux, and Macintosh are seen more as a nuisance than an asset. While there is plenty of support for Windows and Linux, the Mac user is left to fend for him self.
And although the Bergen cluster is nowhere near the capabilities of the "Big Mac", it is a small step in the right direction for students in Norway who uses Macintosh.

And I might add to all you American critics that fins small clusters and small countries nonsignificant, these are the facts: Apple sales is growing outside the US, while it is more or less stagnant in the US, and this despite the fact that we're "subsidizing" YOU, since WE have to pay more for the same Apple products that you're buying. If it weren't for us, you would all be doing Windows by now.

So to all you who found this story trivial and found this cluster "cheap", we would love it if you donated some clusters to our university - or can't you put your money where your mouth is?

The Mac Freak

Are we touchy in Norway. We're just kidding around; enjoy your mac's
:-)

Re:Apple shares must be soaring.... Buy Buy Buy

Day Range 22.83 - 24.10 :) damn right you better buy.

>> basic dual processor starts at 38k, NOK...that is roughly 5.5K US $. That's a truckload of money...needless to say.

Shouldn't that performance number be 36 Gigaflops? Each Xserve performs 9 Gflops, according to Apple, and 9x1100 also adds up to the 10+ Terraflops of the VT cluster.

Hello,

so you may be complaining that the delivery of 4 G5 Xserves to a University in Norway is not worth mentioning compared to the Virgina Cluster of 1100.
Needless to say for Apple users in Norway ( who pay an extra premium price for their G5s around 5500$ comapred to 3999$ in the US ) this is good news.
Apple needs to do more in the education area here in Europe. I would have kicked some sales person's a** in the Virgina case. Remember ? Apple got to know about this project, when they got the order via the online store... makes you think ?
Much worse is the decline in traditional markets. In Switzerland ( The country in the middle of Europe, that is know for it's Alps, banks and chocolate ) and with an extraordinary high Apple marketshare ( 10% or so ) ALL major publishing companíes are getting rid of their Macs ( Article in German ):http://www.persoenlich.com/news/show_news.cfm?newsid=37881
That means a lot of Macs are going out of business and when the large companies do it, the smaller will follow. No reason to keep your Mac if you work for someone, who is using Windows.
For Apple, it is time move their a** in Europe. We are still waiting for the first Apple store in Europe, o.k. London will get one, but what about the rest of us ? There are only a very few places, where you get Macs and where you can ask the sales people for help. All the large electronic supermarkets that used to sell macs, made the worst out of it. Outdated Hardware/Software ( if any ). Too expensive and nobody from the sales people did know anything. No advertising of the stuff in their flyers.
Long way to go for Apple in Europe and thanks to people like those in Norway, we still have hope.

Greetings

Thomas