[Info-vax] Out with Hurd, in with OpenVMS

[DaveG]

On Aug 18, 2:03 pm, "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilber... at comcast.net>
wrote:
> DaveG wrote:
> > On Aug 18, 3:51 am, Michael Kraemer <M.Krae... at gsi.de> wrote:
> >> Neil Rieck schrieb:
>
> >>> On Aug 16, 8:29 am, m.krae... at gsi.de (Michael Kraemer) wrote:
>
> >>> Unlike people like Gordon
> >>> Bell, these VPs were not computer people. Bell wrote that the computer
> >>> industry goes through a major change every 10 years (or so) so the end
> >>> of VAX was in site and DEC needed to do PRISM.
>
> > I believe we were told Alpha would be the processor for the next 25
> > years when it was introduced.  It didn't make it.
>
> 25 years is 25 lifetimes in computer years.  It's obsolete six months to
> a year after it was first announced!

From:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEC_Alpha

"At the time of its announcement, Alpha was heralded as an
architecture for the next 25 years."

I recall this statement was made more than once at the DECUS symposia
back in 1992.  I think 1992.

Also recall some (the guys with the slower chips at the time) were
complaining the Alpha chip ran too hot.  So rather than take the heat,
DEC had an Alpha system they cut a hole in so one could touch the cool
future on the exhibit floor.  I touched - it wasn't hot.