[Info-vax] Poulson info from Dave Cantor

[JF Mezei]

Michael Kraemer wrote:

> Me thinks it was AMD-64 which torpedoed the Itanic.
> HP/Intel hoped that only their product would go 64
> and replace PA, x86 and all others.

At some point in the mid/late 1990s, Intel realised that IA64 would not
replace x86 as industry standard and would be relegated to enterprise
and high perfornance stuff. Not so much because of IA64, but because the
8086 managed to gain very respectable performance.

By the time merced came out, IA64 on desktop was dead already. Microsoft
already had lukewarm support for desktop windows on IA64 and quickly
focused on server Windows.

Intel was still hoping that the 8086 would remain at 32 bits, giving
IA64 its 64 bit business  market niche. AMD torpedoed that last niche by
also forcing Intel to go 64 bits for the 8086.


A very good example of how IA64 is late to market is CSI/Quickpath.
Originally scheduled to arrive on IA64 first, it turned out on the 8086
years ahead of Tukwila.