[Info-vax] Dave Cutler, Prism, DEC, Microsoft, etc.

[George Cook]

In article <hd59v6$1pi$02$1 at news.t-online.com>, Michael Kraemer <M.Kraemer at gsi.de> writes:
> George Cook schrieb:
>> In article <hd49hq$m91$01$1 at news.t-online.com>, Michael Kraemer <M.Kraemer at gsi.de> writes:
> 
>> 
>> No.  It was not.  One more time, from Wikipedia:
>> 
>> "The Alpha architecture was sold, along with most parts of DEC,
>> to Compaq in 1998. Compaq, already an Intel customer, decided to
>> phase out Alpha in favor of the forthcoming Hewlett-Packard/Intel
>> Itanium architecture, and sold all Alpha intellectual property to
>> Intel in 2001"
>> 
>> I suspect that you are confusing the sale of the Hudson fab with
>> the sale of the IP.
>>  
> 
> No, I'm well aware of the difference,
> but I think it does not matter really.

I guess it may not "really" matter in the grand scheme of the
universe, but in that case nothing at all matters "really".  In
1997, DEC still claimed (and appeared) to believe in Alpha.  I
went to all the same non-disclosure presentations as I suspect
others here did.

> The 1997 deal with intel (and a similar one with Samsung)
> effectively marked alpha's sell out,
> even if DEC kept IP rights on paper.
 
> Moreover,
> intel agreed to manufacture Alpha, a possible competitor to their
> upcoming IA64.
> At about the same time it was planned to port DEC Unix to IA64.
> All that makes only sense if alpha's death was already sealed,
> maybe secretly, with the 1997 deal.

Sounds a lot like "double secret probation" to me.  IBM also agreed
to manufacture Alpha.  If nothing else IBM is not stupid, and would not
have gotten involved in some super secret conspiracy to kill Alpha.


George Cook
WVNET