Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Apple Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Richard Habib who wrote (18563)	9/27/1998 4:05:00 PM
From: HerbVic	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 213183

I must confess that you have lost me on some of your terms. What is 4 way SMP? Is it the acronym for Synchronous Multi Processor? What applications are you referring to with "12 node clustering of 2 way Xeon machines?" Commercial? Research? I was more concerned with IBM's consumer product line. Without the foundry deal with Cyrix, amid falling retail prices, isn't there pressure for IBM to consolidate their own offerings? With the push into copper and SOI heating up, and with the Intel absorption of Cyrix, I would naturally expect IBM to be working on a highly competitive tactical maneuver in the consumer PC arena. It seems possible to me that a "Virtual PC" emulation of a Pentium II in hardware could be much faster and more transparent that the one in software. With the speed bump of copper and SOI as a catalyst and the recent industry directions taken by Intel, Microsoft, Compaq and Apple going into an uncertain year 2000 as a background, it seems that IBM would want to hedge the uncertainty with a product that would reach across multiple operating system strategies while at the same time bridging the hardware gap between Pentium and Power PC with their own processors as the foundation for the next generation PC. It's just something that I have been thinking about. I'd like to know if it sounds crazy or what? HerbVic _______________ According to recent news that you can easily retrieve, IBM has high hopes for the Xeon workstation/server line. While Intel's 4-way motherboards have been delayed, I believe there are some third party motherboards offering 4 way SMP and in any case Intel's 2 way SMP boards available now will be increased to 4 way 1Q99. I also believe IBM has been prominent in advancing the clustering of Xeon machines and I'll have to go back and check but I believe 12 node clustering of 2 way Xeon machines is now available. Rich