[coined in a paper by T.H. Myer and I.E. Sutherland On the Design of
Display Processors, Comm. ACM, Vol. 11, no. 6, June 1968)] Term used
to refer to a well-known effect whereby function in a computing
system family is migrated out to special-purpose peripheral hardware
for speed, then the peripheral evolves toward more computing power as
it does its job, then somebody notices that it is inefficient to
support two asymmetrical processors in the architecture and folds the
function back into the main CPU, at which point the cycle begins
again.
Several iterations of this cycle have been observed in
graphics-processor design, and at least one or two in communications
and floating-point processors. Also known as the Wheel of Life, the
Wheel of Samsara, and other variations of the basic Hindu/Buddhist
theological idea. See also {blitter}.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {cycle of reincarnation}]