Maybe a run up on this good news:
zdnet.com
I have been in my "quiet period." Ha... Anyhow, I think that
Alpha is going to be a great success. Here is some idle speculation
that I have speculated here-abouts before... I think that Merced
may be a bit delayed in that end of 1999 might be rosy. Microsoft
on January 28th had a love-in with Digital in San Francisco where
they announced a joint development effort to get the kinks out
of 64-bit NT. With that, Mr. Gates mentioned 64-bit NT on
Alpha first around 1Q99. The machines to run this on are
32 and 64 or more Alpha processors (on the high end, duh). NT
on Wildfire in 1999, a full 10-12 months before Merced. Obviously,
it is very advantageous for Digital to put in a great effort to
get the bugs out FRS.
Now, the Samsung stuff is very interesting as Samsung will volume
ship a .25 21264 this summer (June 1 is what one fellow has been
promised). That will be a very high-performing part and very reasonably priced. Not only will it put tremendous pricing/positioning pressure on Intel with Merced but will be in
the market a full year before. .35 micron 21264 is due out at the
end of March.
Couple that with this quote found in ComputerWorld:
"Among the driving forces behind the deal, claimed Bruce Claflin
a senior vice president [of sales & marketing] at Digital, was
Compaq's interest in Digital's 64-bit Alpha and OpenVMS technologies."
Adding another interesting angle is Galaxies (aka OpenVMS technologies). Compaq will own an OS that is headed to the stratosphere. Something they can truly come at IBM with. A general
excitement from some quarters in Usenetland about Compaq and VMS.
Of course, it is via friends as Digital employees themselves are
forced into silence via the "quiet period." Actually, they can't
say diddly without risking their jobs. But like any sleuthy person
there be clues abounding.
By the way, anyone notice the "Alpha is dead" cacophony the last
few weeks? Anyone still believe it?
By the way again, I mentioned "64-bit NT on Alpha first" over a year
ago. Spent a good deal of time trying to convince trade-rag writers
of such a scenario. Let me just say, they are a bothersome lot. They
don't dare venture outside a tight little Microsoft/Intel mindset.
Rather sad at times . . . but expected.
Rob
P.S. Wow, a spell-checker. It doesn't like my made up words:
sleuthy, diddly , etc. I am being punished... I can relate to the
Unabomber. Don't worry folks, too distracted by kids and work plus
more importantly have a real faith in Christ and wouldn't think about
moving to a remote cabin and tinkering with gunpowder because of a stupid spell-checker. Now when the grammar-checker shows up in green, that is different. |
