[Info-vax] Vaxes shutting off this week

[Bill Gunshannon]

In article <goeb8m$fr6$2 at pcls6.std.com>,
	moroney at world.std.spaamtrap.com (Michael Moroney) writes:
> billg999 at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) writes:
> 
>>In article <%qmql.8409$%54.6277 at nlpi070.nbdc.sbc.com>,
>>	Michael Austin <maustin at firstdbasource.com> writes:
>>> 
>>> Hmm.. I wonder what would have happened had Alpha continued on the path 
>>> and then did what all of the other processors had to do get more 
>>> through-put, go multi-core with more front-end cache...
>> 
>>Can't you apply that same question to pretty much any old technology?
> 
> 
>>   Hmm.. I wonder what would have happened had VAX continued on the path 
>>   and then did what all of the other processors had to do get more 
>>   through-put, go multi-core with more front-end cache...
> 
>>   Hmm.. I wonder what would have happened had PDP-11 continued on the path 
>>   and then did what all of the other processors had to do get more 
>>   through-put, go multi-core with more front-end cache...
> 
> A big difference is that the PDP and the VAX ran their courses and were
> discontinued at an appropiate time.  

Some people might not agree with that notion.  PDP-11 development was
continued long after Dec sold it off to Mentec.  And I mean processor
development, not just OS and software support.  And many people here
have suggested that while Alpha was a great idea there was a place for
VAX to continue as well.  The world never went completely RISC and the
VAX was probably better than any other non-RISC processor.

>                                     Alpha was killed when it was pretty
> much the fastest processor.  Who knows what may have happened if EV8 and
> EV9 and beyond saw daylight?  However, Alpha was apparently a real "cash
> furnace" which is why it got killed in the first place.
Not sure what you mean by a "cash furnace" but if that means burning lots
in cost while returning littel in profits I would not only disagree but
also have to ask, what of it's supposed replacement?

bill


-- 
Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
billg999 at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
University of Scranton   |
Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>