[found on port-vax, thougth you would maybe want to see this]
----- Forwarded message from Chris Quayle -----
Message-ID: <34E087B9.63DABEB6@dial.pipex.com>
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 17:00:41 +0000
From: Chris Quayle <icq@dial.pipex.com>
To: port-vax@NetBSD.ORG
Subject: Alpha

Someone sent this to me today - and yes, I know it's off topic...

/* ----------------------------------------- */

THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR DIGITAL?S ALPHA

A senior industry analyst has predicted that Digital?s 64bit Alpha
microprocessor will be gradually phased out, following Compaq?s buy-out
of
the company last week.

However, Clive Longbottom, VP of market research firm, The Meta Group,
said
it is unlikely Compaq will jettison the chip before the millennium.

Alpha has one big advantage over current Intel technology and that?s
64bit
memory addressing. Intel Pentium chips are 32bit, which means the
operating system that sits on top has to be 32bit or less. Consequently,
Alpha is still better for large database applications like Oracle 9 and
Parallel.

According to Longbottom, Alpha will be phased out when Intel?s 64bit
Merced
 chip and Microsoft?s Windows NT 5.0 are ready. "Merced is slated
to hit the streets in 1999, as is NT 5.0 which supports 64bit memory
addressing. However, even with a 1999 shipping date, there?ll be more
delays
because of Year 2000 issues. Once that?s over, there?ll be no need for
Alpha, " he said.

In the short term, Longbottom expects Compaq to continue to support
Alpha.
"What you?ll see are companies running Oracle databases on NT
servers, on Alpha chips with a Compaq badge on the desktop."

Compaq and Digital refused to comment.

Nick Gilbert Chief Reporter 0181 563 1000

/* -------------------------------------- */

The takeover of Digital was the most depressing news i've heard in ages
- worked for digital in  Reading in the eighties and though the some of
the line managers were terminally retentive, they also had some of the
best engineers i've worked with - I guess quality really is going out of
fashion...

Chris

----- End of forwarded message from Chris Quayle -----