
Microsoft just released Windows HPC Server 2008, with support for thousands of processors. A
NYTimes article takes a closer look at Microsoft's ambitions in supercomputing, and current trends in the HPC field, where Microsoft has almost no current presence. Microsoft's strategy is probably a recognition that with the price of high-powered hardware decreasing, many new companies and organizations are finding application for high-powered systems, and they hope to be able to take a portion of that new business using people's familiarity with the Windows brand as a foot in the door.
Member since:
2006-01-06
Think High Priced Computing. What linux has done is to make the software side of clusters extremely affordable. Not to mention easy to manage.
My experience with Microsoft products in shoehorned clusters is a comedy of incompatibilities, patch distribution nightmares and getting bit by artificial licensing limitations. I personally don't like paying a company to cause me lots of headaches.