> "Rick Kelly" <rmk@toad.rmkhome.com>
> Greg A. Woods said:
> 
> >> (sigh... when are we going to have an Open Hardware revolution?)
> 
> >I'd be happy with just an OpenFirmware implementation for common
> >"IBM-PC" class machines....  :-)
> 
> Since Microsoft basically controls the architecture of "IBM-PC" class
> machines. don't expect that to happen soon.

Worse yet -- since "consumers" (The Unwashed Masses  :>) *buy*
the damn things, don't expect it to happen EVER!  :-(

> In fact, not long ago Microsoft was awarded a series of patents for a
> PC that would only run Microsoft software. ( and just by coincidence
> would support the provisions of the CDBTPA )
> 
> I expect that the Intel PC will morph into whatever Billy Gates thinks

s/ate/oat/

:>

> the next big thing will be.
> 
> Which is why I own a lot more Sun sparc boxes than Intel.

Yes.  Unfortunately, it's usually far easier to get lots of MIPS
on an x86 box (per currency unit) than other platforms.  I
recently started porting an application to NetBSD/SPARC and 
quickly decided to switch that to FreeBSD/x86 simply due to
the availability of faster x86 boxes here (fastest SPARC I have
is an LX -- or maybe the SS2?).

<shrug>