[Info-vax] Microsoft: Alpha architecture responsible for poor Windows file compression

[Chris]

On 11/02/16 13:58, Simon Clubley wrote:
> According to:
>
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/11/02/ghost_of_dec_alpha_sees_microsoft_dumb_down_windows_file_compression/
>
> Microsoft are saying that limits in the Alpha architecture are responsible
> for poor Windows file compression in today's world. Sample quote:
>
> |Chen says one of his "now-retired colleagues worked on real-time compression,
> |and he told me that the Alpha AXP processor was very weak on bit-twiddling
> |instructions. For the algorithm that was ultimately chosen, the smallest unit
> |of encoding in the compressed stream was the nibble; anything smaller would
> |slow things down by too much. This severely hampers your ability to get good
> |compression ratios."
>
> Do any Alpha architecture experts here know if this is the full story ?
>
> Simon.
>


Apparently a red herring, even though early Alpha did not have byte
operations. There's a thread running in comp.arch whci discussing
the issue in detail...

Chris