Joseph S. Barrera III <joebar@microsoft.com> wrote:
>Easy - they keep selling Intel boxes, and when the treble damages are [...]
DEC has already committed to using the K6 in (some of) its x86 boxes
although current contracts with Intel probably extend for a few months.
I think the big picture has nothing to do with Pentium plain/Pro/II.
The only major technology step was in the PPro and that was ages ago.
DEC exists because Alphas are fast enough that they can charge huge
margins for the high-end systems. Various noises over the last few
months suggest that they are very concerned that they will be screwed
if the 64-bit chips that HP and Intel are working on match the 21264
for speed. But presumably a lot of Alpha-like technology would need
to be "borrowed".
This suit will probably fizzle out into some behind-the-scenes
licensing agreement BUT the HP-Intel development will be seriously
fucked as they will have to steer wide of large swathes of technology.
That's my take, and I just saw that on comp.sys.dec, Terry Shannon said
"Instead, the long-term objective is to send the ia64 design team back
to the drawing board!" If he says it, it must be true.
-- Rob.
.-. Robert.Harley@inria.fr .-.
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