We really do need to talk about this who-does-specialized business. The
arguments for departments are the natural ones: the closer decision making is
to substance, the better it will be. The arguments for central stem more from
economies of scale: for example, none of the departments that will use the new
SGIs can afford enough of them, since their individual needs and resources
aren't large enough to justify a large enough facility for the size classes
they want to serve, and so the choices are either ad hoc collaboration among
departments, central provision, or inadequate facilities. In those cases --
and I think most needs for "specialized" computing are like that -- I think
that central provision has served us well, and will continue to do so. For
those departments that have the resources and numbers to justify departmental
faciltiies, I agree with Hal and Bob that departments should control and pay
for specialized facilities. But there are only two or three departments that
satisfy that condition, and the discussion we need to have is about broad
strategy for serving the remainder.
Fundamentally I agree with Bob that EVAT ought simply to flag this issue,
perhaps identifying the competing arguments, and leave it at that.
gj
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