Re: 64-bit

On Thu, 21 March 2002, "Leif Svalgaard" wrote:

> From: <thomas@inorbit.com>
> > > IBM's first 64-bit computer, the 7030, was delivered to "Los Alamos
> > > Scientific Laboratory" on April 16th, 1961, so 64-bit computing goes
> > > way back.
> >
> > Please keep in mind that we're discussing bus widths, etc., for addressing
> bits; not systems that had 64-bits of total memory.
>
> you are quite correct, the 7030 only had an address space of 24 bits,
> quite the same as a segment on the AS/400. How do you in RPG create
> and directly access an array with, say, 1000 Terabytes of data? as
> you should be able to do in "true" 64-bit addressing.


Although I was obviously (I hope) joking the first time around, this is now a 
significant technical issue. My take on it is simple -- it's irrelevant.

That is, a particular language implementation, limitation, expression or 
whatever, has no necessary connection to a particular hardware architecture 
feature. A major point of HLLs is that such hardware details are hidden and 
even untouchable.

OTOH, more often than not, you have takes on such issues that are instructive; 
so I gotta ask... Do you think that issue is meaningful? If so, can you say why?

Tom Liotta

--
Tom Liotta
The PowerTech Group, Inc.
19426 68th Avenue South
Kent, WA 98032
Phone  253-872-7788
Fax  253-872-7904
http://www.400Security.com


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