Things that I always had as assumptions about Traveller computers:
1. The price, weight, volume, etc. isn't just for a computer. It also includes all the interfaces (whether that is a simple terminal or a complex workstation that has its own computing capabilities built in), all the network wiring, wireless antennas (if applicable), switches and routers, as well as computer itself which wouldn't be a glorified PC in an air conditioned closet, it would include an environmentally controlled server room with a fire suppression system, multiple servers, storage arrays, etc. When you think about it that way, Traveller isn't so far off as you might think, especially if you are talking about a computer network within starship that has been harden against radiation.
2. Some computers would be "computers", in that there is no big, central computer, but lots of nodes that are connected together through quantum computing links (FTL, btw) throughout the starship. Each node would be capable of doing all the things that you'd expect a ship's computer to do, that way if a node or two goes down for some reason (damage, power loss, etc.) the computer would continue to fully function until such time that enough nodes were destroyed that the system would slowly grind to a halt. The number of nodes could range from several to several dozen or more. All that price, weight, volume, etc. is therefor going for the entirety of the distributed computing model plus all the interfaces.
3. Redundant computer systems is not anything new--indeed the Space Shuttle had 5 as I recall and later 3. Each of the computers was wired into the others and took over if the primary failed. Takes up a lot more space, but then how much would you be willing to spend to get your ship out of deep space because of a computer failure?
1. The price, weight, volume, etc. isn't just for a computer. It also includes all the interfaces (whether that is a simple terminal or a complex workstation that has its own computing capabilities built in), all the network wiring, wireless antennas (if applicable), switches and routers, as well as computer itself which wouldn't be a glorified PC in an air conditioned closet, it would include an environmentally controlled server room with a fire suppression system, multiple servers, storage arrays, etc. When you think about it that way, Traveller isn't so far off as you might think, especially if you are talking about a computer network within starship that has been harden against radiation.
2. Some computers would be "computers", in that there is no big, central computer, but lots of nodes that are connected together through quantum computing links (FTL, btw) throughout the starship. Each node would be capable of doing all the things that you'd expect a ship's computer to do, that way if a node or two goes down for some reason (damage, power loss, etc.) the computer would continue to fully function until such time that enough nodes were destroyed that the system would slowly grind to a halt. The number of nodes could range from several to several dozen or more. All that price, weight, volume, etc. is therefor going for the entirety of the distributed computing model plus all the interfaces.
3. Redundant computer systems is not anything new--indeed the Space Shuttle had 5 as I recall and later 3. Each of the computers was wired into the others and took over if the primary failed. Takes up a lot more space, but then how much would you be willing to spend to get your ship out of deep space because of a computer failure?