[CCTALK] SGI / DEC Flirtation with NT/mips alpha

From: Raymond Moyers <rmoyers_at_nop.org>
Date: Fri May 17 02:35:28 2002

On Thursday 16 May 2002 23:06, you wrote:
> Nope. ?68K then (briefly, thank God) i386, then SPARC.


 Then there are the other failed experiments where both
 DEC and SGI persued the winblows holy grail, damaging
 both companies.

 Dec has out in the field a bare few of these NT running
 alphas that for reasons im not certain of cannot run Unix
 ( something to do with the firmware ? other differences ?
 thats my understanding anyway)

 DEC also had some wintell hardware, and chasing the
 commodity PC market played a large part in the companies
 destruction IMO, leaving them weaked fodder to be swallowed
 by Compaq.

 If we was to count off all the former companies that are
 under the HP umbrella now, it would make quite a list,
 I cant name them all.

 SGI did the same thing, they too chased the winblows
 illusion with NT on mips and wintell boxes with SGI logos
 on them, again neglecting their core bussiness and
 expending funds and labor to enter a market where history
 teaches mickysoft does not tolerate anything they cant
 control.

 But just like Porsche people dismiss the 924 as not being
 a "real Porsche" the NT on alpha/mips and wintel hardware
 DEC's and SGI boxes are not real DEC's and SGI's
 in that view.

 Perhaps in the Sun 386i we see why Mr McNealy didnt
 destroy his company falling all over themselves at Bill G's
 feet along with DEC and SGI, they had been there, done the
 intel thing already. ;=)

 Raymond

"The First Amendment...begins with the five loveliest words
 in the English language: 'Congress shall make no law'."
 --George Will
Received on Fri May 17 2002 - 02:35:28 BST