[ale] [Fwd: End of the line for Alpha?]

[Eric Z. Ayers]

Digital has a LOT of investment in the Alpha. If they throw away the
alpha chip, there are no more Digital servers, no more Digital Unix.
That is, unless they are getting out of the general computing business
altogether (who knows?)  I wouldn't be TOO hasty to judge.  It is a
rumour, abliet a well PUBLICIZED rumour.  

-Eric.

Ken Seefried writes:
 > > > Now, my crystal ball is pretty hazy, and I have no idea what they're
 > >
 > > > thinking at both DEC and Intel, but I wonder if this isn't the death
 > >
 > > > knell for the Alpha platform.
 > 
 > It is.
 > 
 > Intel has no reason, in any market, to promote or enhance Alpha, and
 > every reason to kill it off.
 > 
 > Even if Intel doesn't buy it, the fact that Digital has publicly made an
 > 
 > effort to shed the buisiness will likely doom the chip.  It will be
 > practically
 > impossible to make a sale of this architecture when the developer and
 > primary backer of the architecture has given it a vote of no confidence.
 > 
 > I've already had two clients who I've convenced to go Alpha call me
 > and ask what I'd done to them.  Grrr.
 > 
 > - Ken
 >