[Info-vax] BOINC for VMS

[Michael Kraemer]

David Froble schrieb:
> seasoned_geek wrote:
> 
>>
>> 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.

The even bigger problem is, that there wasn't strong enough evidence
intel had really "stolen" DEC's IP,
http://news.cnet.com/Report-Intel-didnt-copy-Digital-chip/2100-1023_3-279812.html

And there was intel's
countersuit that DEC vice versa had infringed intel's patents,
http://news.cnet.com/Intel-files-suit-against-Digital/2100-1001_3-202300.html 


> 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 way out of date by the time anything was finalized.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.

Everybody won in that deal. Well, everybody except Alpha lovers.
Both companies wanted to get rid of the chip.

> 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.

In the early days, DEC indeed offered intel to partner with them,
but intel wasn't interested. Maybe intel "smelled" that Alpha
would eventually be a failure?

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