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Story URL: http://hardware.silicon.com/pdas/0,39024643,11003900,00.htm

Silicon Graphics founder sets sail in computerised boat

By John Oates

Published: Thursday 10 September 1998

IT guru Jim Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics and co-founder of Netscape Communications, is splashing out on a $30m yacht.

The boat is fully networked. Computers control everything onboard. PCs store data on everything that happens and record sail settings to help 'teach' the skipper the best way to run the boat.

The system uses 20 Silicon Graphics computers, a server, 37 miles of network cable and can store 500 billion bytes of information.

The software was partly written by Jim Clark and he says he hopes to find other applications for it. It even allows for remote control of the yacht from anywhere in the world.

The boat, called Hyperion, should sail off on its maiden voyage in November.