Paul and Intel investors,
Does Itanium spell the end for Risc?
Don't think this article has made it in here, about Itanium and its going after RISC systems markets. Some clips and comments:
Itanium will kill off Risc-based architectures, but it will take a few years, say analysts.
Risc will be safe for at least 18 months because the first-generation Itanium chip is such a new design, says Andy Butler, research director at Gartner.
The big threat will come with the release of the second-generation chip, he warns. "McKinley will steadily eat into Risc's market share. It won't kill Risc for some years, but it will eventually."
Gartner Group is the pre-eminent analyst group for computer systems over the last 30 years, specializing in medium - large systems. A lot of people in the customer community, etc. listen to them.
Long-term, Itanium is a real threat to Sun, says Phil Dawson, programme director of analyst the Meta Group. But the firm will be saved by its total commitment to Unix.
Unix will run on Itanium, but Intel's close relationship with Microsoft may be offputting for some users.
"With Itanium we expect the Wintel environment to erode the high-end server market, relegating Risc and Unix to a smaller segment," said Dawson.
"Sun will survive because it is a religious alternative to Microsoft, but long-term, Itanium will transform Risc into very niche technology."
Meta Group is the next most pre-eminent analyst group for computer systems, specializing in medium - large systems. A lot of people listen to them too. Hope these guys are right.
vnunet.com
Tony |
