Mastering IPython 4.0

High Performance Computing

At this point, we have to leave consumer computing aside for a while. As computing hardware became more affordable, the need for most people to have programs run as efficiently as possible diminished. Other criteria entered the picture: graphical interfaces, multitasking, interactivity, and so on. Usability became more important than raw speed.

This, however, was not true for everybody. There remained a small (but devoted) group of users/programmers for whom efficiency was not just the most important thing. It was the only thing. These groups hung out in nuclear labs and intelligence agencies and had money to spend on exotic hardware and highly skilled coders. Thus was shaped High Performance Computing (HPC).

True to ...