>And that brings me back to my original question of timeframe. Even if processors with x86-64 made up 30% of the market, it will still take at least two years after that happens before any real software support (i.e. OS AND mainstream apps) gains momentum. Unless, of course, AMD ditches their "Build it and they will come" approach to marketing, but we all know that's highly unlikely.<
That is why I am writing to AMD suggesting a few strategic acqusitions/mergers, beginning with SGI.
Intel put the screws to AMD royally with their Compaq deal, and AMD needs to wake up and smell the sewage treatment plant.
With SGI as a division of AMD, it would be possible for AMD to insure SGI's world class development/production environment is ported to x86-64, and license this environment to vendors such as Gateway and Dell, while expanding SGI's share of the P4/Itanium workstation/server markets.
Additionally, AMD could relaunch the Amiga computer using the Silicon Graphics brand. The Amiga could be relaunched in two basic flavors, Alpha/Hammer, with the Alpha processor only based Amiga's going after the set top systems market (multiple DISHPlayer like EchoStar/DirecTV satellite receivers or cable decoder boxes linked to a central desktop Amiga computer). Each desktop Amiga system would accomodate a Hammer based coprocessor card, much like the original Amiga accomodated an 8086 based coprocessor card, and offer similar funtionality. |
