[Info-vax] BOINC for VMS

[David Froble]

seasoned_geek wrote:
> On Mar 11, 9:27 pm, David Froble <da... at tsoft-inc.com> wrote:
>> Michael Kraemer wrote:
>>> Neil Rieck schrieb:
>>>> On a related note, in what universe was it correct to kill Alpha while
>>>> allowing SPARC to live?
>>> In every conceivable universe where some basic rules of economy hold.
>>> Alpha simply wasn't good enough to survive.
>>>> Man, I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone.
>> Well, you did mention "rules of economy".
>>
>> The problem was, Alpha did not have anyone in the chip business who wanted it to survive.
>>   HP had come up with their rather stupid design, and got Intel to also support it.  IBM,
>> well, they were and still are IBM.
>>
>> If DEC had been able to make a deal with Intel to mfg and develop the Alpha, we'd still be
>> running them (new CPUs) today.
>>
>> The technology was good, but that is not enough.  You need need dedication to a product.
>> After Ken Olson, it seemed that DEC had no dedication in top management.  Their mistakes
>> didn't help much either.  As for Compaq, I doubt they had any dedication to anything.
>>
>> What is interesting is that the latest itanic designs seem to be moving away from "do
>> everything in the compiler" and a bit toward OoO.  At least, if what I read has any substance.
>>
>> The problem now is, "rules of economy" aren't on the itanic's side ....
> 
> If GQ Bob would have pursued a criminal case against Intel when they
> were caught red handed stealing Alpha technology while they were a
> second source chip foundary, DEC would have owned Intel, IBM would
> have been buying CPUs from DEC along with every other PC vendor.

I think the problem with your idea is that GQ Bob would have ruined not just DEC, but also 
Intel.

DEC did get a settlement with Intel worth 1.5 billion, I believe, and I really don't know 
how much more any court would have awarded them, nor how long it would be tied up in court 
such that the technology would be way out of date by the time anything was finalized.

Do I think that DEC could have got a better deal?  Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean such 
could have happened.

If it would have been DEC that got Intel to partner with them, instead of HP, DEC might 
still be in business, if they could have gotten some decent management that believed in 
the company and had a bit of vision for the future.  DEC was too focused on the past, from 
a business perspective.

It's a bit like "most generals plan for the next war as if they're fighting the last war".