The “Other” Linux

In May 2003, Apple Computer launched the Power Macintosh G5 to critical and popular acclaim. Powered by the brand-new IBM PowerPC 970 processor and Mac OS X Panther, the G5, and more recently, the G5 Xserve, are compelling paragons of low-cost, high-performance, 64-bit computing. Indeed, the G5 is so cost-effective and capable that 1,100 of them were purchased and assembled to form Virginia Tech’s Terascale Cluster, now the third fastest supercomputer in the world, boasting performance of a whopping 10.28 teraflops and built at a fraction of the price of other like configurations.