[Info-vax] Poulson info from Dave Cantor

[Neil Rieck]

On Nov 25, 10:47 am, JF Mezei <jfmezei.spam... at vaxination.ca> wrote:
> 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.

Like one of the comments on the Poulson article states: Itanium has
always been two (or more) years late for the past 15 years.

comment: in the human workplace, a person who is perpetually tardy is
tolerated for a time while his peers compensate for his poor habits.
But there comes a point when the peers realize they are doing all the
work and the tardy person is pushed aside or retired. Let's face it.
Itanium seems to be primarily used by HP customers (at least Alpha was
being used by companies outside of DEC and Compaq). So in hind site,
the industry spent a ton of money switching to a new 64-bit processor
while ignoring advancements in the, then, 32-bit line. (just like the
mainframe people ignored competition from the mini computer industry;
just like the mini industry ignored competition from the micro
computer industry).

So today, Intel and HP are in a codependent relationship. Like a
thoroughbred horse, this Itanium thing is capable of really high
performance but one metaphoric accident in the market place may cause
Itanium to be put down (or out to pasture). To save the line, Intel
and HP must now stimulate sales by dropping the price of hardware as
well as software. They may need to drop prices really low for at least
1,000 days to save it. To do otherwise is to light a final match to
all their Itanium efforts to date.

NSR