Systems Disappeared from the List

As already stated in the introduction the list of systems is not complete. On one hand this is caused by the sheer number of systems that are presented to the market and are often very similar to systems described above (for instance, the Volvox system not listed is very similar but not equivalent to the listed C-DAC system and there are numerous other examples). On the other hand there many systems that are still in operation around the world, often in considerable quantities that for other reasons are excluded. The most important reasons are:

• The system is not marketed anymore. This is generally for one of two reasons:
  • The manufacturer is out of business.
  • The manufacturer has replaced the system by a newer model of the same type or even of a different type.

• The system has become technologically obsolete in comparison to others of the same type. Therefore, listing them is not sensible anymore.

It is good to realise that although systems have disappeared from the section above they still may exist and are actually sold. However, their removal stems in such cases mainly from the fact that they are not serious candidates for high-performance computing anymore.

The table is, again, not complete and admittedly somewhat arbitrary. The data are in a highly condensed form: the system name, system type, theoretical maximum performance of a fully configured system, and the reason for their disappearance is given. The arbitrariness lies partly in the decision which systems are still sufficiently of interest to include and which are not.

We include also both the year of introduction and the year of exit of the systems when they were readily accessible. These time-spans could give a hint of the dynamics that governs this very dynamical branch of the computer industry.