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:
Below we present a table of systems that fall into one of the categories mentioned above. We think this may have some sense to those who come across machines that are still around but are not the latest in their fields. It may be interesting at least to have an indication how such systems compare to the newest ones and to place them in context.
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 the year of introduction and the year of exit of the systems when they were readily accessible. These timespans could give a hint of the dynamics that governs this very dynamical branch of the the computer industry.
&exit-systems;