Visual Design
Connection Machines were noted for their (intentionally) striking visual design. The CM-1 and CM-2 design teams were led by Tamiko Thiel. The physical form of the CM-1, CM-2, and CM-200 chassis was a cube-of-cubes, referencing the machine's internal 12-dimensional hypercube network, with the red LEDs, by default indicating the processor status, visible through the doors of each cube.
By default, when a processor was executing an instruction, its LED was on. In a SIMD program, the goal is to have as many processors as possible working the program at the same time - indicated by having all LEDs being steady on. Those unfamiliar with the use of the LEDs wanted to see the LEDs blink - or even spell out messages to visitors. The result was that finished programs often had superfluous operations to blink the LEDs.
The CM-5, in plan view, had a "staircase"-like shape, and also had large panels of red blinking LEDs. Perhaps because of its design, a CM-5 was featured in the movie Jurassic Park in the control room for the island (instead of a Cray X-MP supercomputer as in the novel). Prominent sculptor/architect Maya Lin contributed to the CM-5 design.
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