Linked by Thom Holwerda on Wed 23rd Sep 2009 21:12 UTC, submitted by poundsmack
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Member since:
2007-11-17
Hmmm....
Infiniband and lightpeak are two completely different and unrelated technologies.
Infiniband is a networking technology for inter-CPU communication (usually used in clusters and supercomputers where the cost and trade offs makes sense). It is cost-effective compared to competing solutions, but a short infiniband cable will cost you $100 on sale and a hub will set you back $5,000-10,000. Definitely not cheap for "consumers". Nor is it clear that Infiniband's lean protocol specifies an easy way for devices to identify themselves or to pass data without encapsulating it in network packets (i.e., without requiring expensive chips in your devices/mouse/keyboard/etc.). Also, it's not even clear that the technology could be easily licensed by chip makers such as Intel at a reasonable cost. It's also a fairly complex connector as compared to USB.
You can't just take a technology that's meant for one thing (streamlined high-speed communication between "intelligent" computer nodes using a network in which expensive routers do the packet switching) and assume that it will magically work well for a diametrically opposite scenario (flexibly connecting many heterogeneous daisy-chained "dumb" devices where low-cost of the connector matters). Or else we would still be using telephone cables for everything...