[Info-vax] Steve Jobes [was: Apple says ...]

[Michael Kraemer]

JF Mezei schrieb:

> By the time Palmer got the job, it was all in the past and paid for. He
> inherited Alpha which was just about ready to launch, with a new Unix
> for it, and a clear path ahead in terms of platform (Alpha).

This "new Unix" (OSF/1) was a rather poor attempt to give the
Alpha a reasonable OS base. Until version 3.x (as of 1994/95)
it looked and felt more as a clone of the venerable Ultrix
rather than a modern Unix.
This mediocre product was intended as a last minute
stop gap measure,
because WNT was first choice but failed in the first place,
see

http://www.businessweek.com/1997/17/b3524142.htm

(with more interesting stuff about Olsen's role)
So the path wasn't "clear" but rather chaotic.

> Palmer didn't have to deal with VAX 9000 as a CEO. That was old news.

Not directly, but with the late effects. VAX 9000 had sucked resources
which should have better been spent elsewhere.