Hi,
With the introduction of Apple's Xgrid software <http://www.apple.com/acg/xgrid/> would it be possible to use this technology and apply it to Photoshop/The Desktop?
I like the idea of keeping old boxes and simply adding to the combined computing power when buying new kit.
... or have I completely misunderstood the application of this?
Applications have to be specifically written to support XGrid, but I think Apple is working on trying to make some general XGrid benefits for all applications (rumor sites say this will be part of OS X 10.4).
Because Adobe has still not updated many of their filters and other image processing functions to support multiple processors on the same machine, there may not be that much of an improvement is they do support XGrid.
Grid computing is better suited for searching or highly repeatable or highly segmented tasks. Using grids for 3D rendering of computer animated movies (such as "Finding Nemo") is ideal because each frame of video is a (mostly) separate picture. Each computer on the grid can be sent a single picture to work on and then request another when it is finished. Internet search engines are another good use of grid computers because the high volume of independent queries and somewhat static data.
Photoshop is different because most calculations are based on factors that are not easily split between computers. For example, a Unsharp Mask filter is gathering color data from the pixels that surround the current pixel. A photo that is split between multiple computers for the USM filter would likely be slower than processing on the host computer. Actions the including multiple filter processes also do not work well... because each filter is processed inline. A Posterization filter and then Gaussian blur does not have the same results as a Gaussian blur and *then* Posterization.
The way the Photoshop can best take advantage of Grid computing is in the Batch and Image Collection features (Contact Sheet, Web Gallery...)
The biggest limiting factor with the grid computing concepts is network bandwidth. To really take advantage of the high speeds of modern processors, Gigabit ethernet (10 times faster than 100TX) should be used. For older computers (400mhz and slower), 100TX should be OK.
More info about XGrid and Grid computing "for the masses":
http://www.newsforge.com/hardware/04/01/12/1628240.shtml
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