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From: roger@hpsrla.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Re: Question:  on-chip or off-chip MMU?
Message-ID: <3460004@hpsrla.HP.COM>
Date: Mon, 1-Jun-87 21:07:28 EDT
Article-I.D.: hpsrla.3460004
Posted: Mon Jun  1 21:07:28 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 4-Jun-87 03:05:08 EDT
References: <5635@shemp.UCLA.EDU>
Organization: Network Measurements Div - Santa Rosa, CA
Lines: 16


>>      Another nice thing about optical computing is the ability to represent
>>      and compute in multiple levels of logic.  Imagine ternary or other
>>      higher radices used for computation...

> I am thinking about it.  I'm wondering "why bother?".  Binary works really
> well, and puts the least demands on linearity and reproducibility of device
> properties -- *not* a strong point of optical digital devices to date.

Actually, if you care to get theoretical, I believe it can be shown that
the ideal number base for a computer is e (2.7182818...).  Interesting,
perhaps, but not very practical.

Roger Petersen
Hewlett Packard
Santa Rosa, CA