Is there such a thing as high-performance #permacomputing ?  
On one hand, HPC implies centralization. On the other hand, some important tasks like weather prediction or build farms benefit everyone and require centralized infrastructure.

@csepp I consider creating performant code to be inherently a part of permacomputing. Less wasted work, though this can depend on the overall context.

I've used a bit more traditional HPC via message passing systems and the like, in some cases those are overblown complexity wise and resource wise. If it's really needed, it could lead to more efficient and less wasteful systems, assuming the machines are performing useful tasks 24/7 and not just idling.

Still, context dependent I guess

@bd @csepp It's also so highly context-dependent. Most of the low-energy platforms we all use every day now would run circles around the supercomputers of the 1980s, and any homelab could outpace the computing clusters of the 90s. What do we need computing for, exactly?
@spacehobo @bd @csepp That is the key question, isn't it? Which applications of computing serve the common good?