[Info-vax] VSI licensing policy (again), was: Re: VSI has a new CEO

[John Dallman]

In article <ser2qf$bjk$1 at dont-email.me>, jan-erik.soderholm at telia.com
(Jan-Erik Söderholm) wrote:
> Den 2021-08-09 kl. 13:06, skrev Lawrence D_Oliveiro:
> > On Monday, August 9, 2021 at 4:27:34 PM UTC+12, John Dallman 
> > wrote:
> > All of which were supported on Linux, and continued to be 
> > supported on Linux long after Microsoft had abandoned them. So 
> you see, it wasn_t just a matter of the popularity (or not) of 
> those architectures.
> 
> I read Johns comment such as "they weren't much used [*by Windows 
> users*].
> 
> And also "the [*Windows*] market preferred x86-64..."
> 
> Not the possible popularity of the platforms as such...

Indeed. The Windows market popularity of those architectures is only
vaguely connected to their popularity in other markets. 

Windows on PowerPC was a Microsoft/IBM co-production, and the only
supported machines outside Japan were rs/60000 models that were extremely
expensive. There was a plan to support PowerMac machines via the Common
Hardware Reference Platform, but since that would have opened the MacOS
market to hardware competition, Apple were less enthusiastic in practice
than they claimed in public, and it never went anywhere. 

Windows on MIPS suffered because there were disagreements within SGI
about supporting it, or shunning it. Then the Intel Pentium Pro made the
contemporary MIPS processors look really slow, and NetPower, the company
that ex-SGI people had set up to do Windows MIPS high-end machines
switched to Intel. 

Windows on Alpha lasted until the end of NT4. There was a 64-bit port,
used at Microsoft for development, but never released, because Itanium
was going to be the thing. 

Itanium's only lasting markets were for HP-UX, VMS and NonStop, all of
which were HP proprietary operating systems at the time. A fair number of
customers did abandon them to get away from Itanium. 

Windows on ARM64 has real potential, and I hope Microsoft are willing to
let it grow out of the niche they've allocated for it in their plans. 

John