[Info-vax] RealWorldTech on Poulson

[Michael Kraemer]

Neil Rieck schrieb:

> While not wanting to split hairs (or is it hares?) here, Intel got
> into bed with HP in 1994 IIRC. 

I think it was the other way round.
Unlike DEC, HP knew well that maintaining
an own CPU architecture without being
a dedicated chip maker would outrageously
expensive. So they tried to get intel
into their boat, just like IBM teamed
up with Motorola (and Apple).

> So at this point I don't know who spent
> the most amount of money. Intel picked up 300+ Alpha Engineers just
> around the time of the HPQ merger,

Did they?
According to the Alasir article,
http://alasir.com/articles/alpha_history/dec_collapse.shtml
the leading and most "talented engineers" had left long before.
And not for intel, mostly.

> then we saw Alpha's CSI appear as
> QPI on the Core-i7 so I think it is safe to assume that Intel didn't
> pull a Dilbert on the Alpha engineers, or their technology, or there
> know-how.

Or maybe just patents, which allowed them to build what
they had in store anyway.

> 
> HP didn't have a problem getting into bed with Intel so I always
> wonder how things might have turned out for DEC had they outsourced
> the Alpha FAB work to Intel (or Samsung).

In the beginning the pride of DEC's techies forbid that.
Istr a DEC person stating that "Alpha is so complex
that only we can fab it".
But maybe this was just a sour grapes excuse
because none of the other chip makers wanted to get
in bed with DEC. Again according to that Alasir article,
http://alasir.com/articles/alpha_history/dec_collapse.shtml
(6th paragraph).
And in the end, it was too late.