July 1998
Week ending 31 July,
1998
- "Computer users and professionals from all around
the world have joined together to ask Microsoft to
provide consumers a choice in the computer industry...
The members of the AlphaNT mail list, an Internet
resource devoted to the technical issues regarding
Windows NT running on the Alpha platform, joined together
to create an Open Letter To Microsoft. In this
letter, the signatories ask Microsoft to remember its
long-term goal to make Windows NT a truly platform
independent environment, thereby furthering consumer
choice and fostering competition."
-
- Compaq's
Alpha-Intel dilemma
- "For years, the presumption among IT professionals
has been that the Microsoft Windows NT Server 5.0
onslaught would be driven by Intel CPU technology.
Specifically, the spotlight is trained on the
next-generation, 64-bit processing engine codenamed
Merced...
But the Alpha processing engine, the 64-bit
powerhouse already in existence, may be a better platform
for NT."
- Still
Waiting for 64-Bit Windows
- Here's this week Fud
Alert! -- somehow, Owen Linderholm's
head was so far in Intel's propoganda-regions that he's
not heard that Alpha is owned by Compaq, designed by
Compaq and Samsung, and only built by Intel.
Another point: someone obviously told him that Microsoft
was committed to provide 64 bit NT only on
Merced and Alpha was excluded! He's obviously not aware
that 64 bit NT is up and running now, but only on
Alpha! Feel free to send Mr. Linderholm the
Intel-obscured truth he seems to have missed and needs to
know via CMP's
TechWeb feedback address, feedback@techweb.com.
-
- Intel
developing Merced software
- "Intel envisions persuading software developers to
increasingly design their programs to run on Unix
"flavors" sitting on top of the Intel chip
architecture. Already, Hewlett-Packard, SCO, Sun, and
Digital have said they will write versions of their Unix
software for the upcoming 64-bit Merced chip, which was
recently pushed back to 2000.
The program also
supports applications running on Microsoft's rival
Windows NT, but doesn't press developers to migrate to
Intel's longtime de facto ally."
Sounds like Intel and Microsoft really are going down
the divorce path. Too bad for Intel that they're courting
an OS with shrinking marketshare.
- Workstation
War -- NT, Unix vendors in standard battle
- "These introductions-made at Siggraph, traditionally
a Unix show dominated by Silicon Graphics Inc.-added fuel
to NT workstation vendors' boasts about the rising
popularity of their platform over Unix systems."
-
- AMD
completes K7 plan
- "A reliable source close to chip company Advanced
Micro Devices (AMD) said today that it has completed
testing of its future K7 product... on target for early
release in 1999."
-
- The
copper rush continues -- Samsung, Sun to produce MPUs
with the metal
- "As early as next year, Samsung will manufacture the
64-bit Alpha microprocessor on a 0.18-micron process,
moving from aluminum to copper-wire interconnects, senior
executives said."
-
- Compaq
Introduces Transaction Processing Solutions for Windows
NT
- DIGITAL
TP Web Connector V1
- DIGITAL
TP Desktop Connector V3
- DIGITAL
BusinessBus Message Broker
- Who was it saying you can't do transaction processing
over the web?
-
- Microsoft,
Netscape Rush To Close Security Holes
- This article has got links to patches for OutLook Express
to plug the security hole posted on the Internet last
week. Recommended reading for anyone using Microsoft or
Netscape products for reading mail on any platform!
Back to Top
Week ending 24 July,
1998
- Compaq CTO rallies to alliances,
standards
- An interview with Bill Strecker,
with a take on his viewpoints regarding the new engineer
-- part techie, part businessman, part negotiator, and
maybe even part lawyer -- and the delicate balancing act
Compaq is playing with Digital UNIX and NT, Alpha and
Merced.
- Compaq appoints VPs as headcount
reduction proceeds
- Not necessarily pure Alpha news,
but important background information on the new leaders
bringing new technologies and R&D capabilities to
Compaq.
- Compaq Delivers on Commitment to
64-Bit AlphaServer, Digital UNIX, OpenVMS Platforms
- Price cuts and 21264 performance
information fill this press release. While these
performance numbers are great, contrast them with the
numbers Samsung gives for the 21264 at 575 MHz in the
following article...
- API Showcases Alpha 21264 at
SIGGRAPH
- The API press release describing
the chips shown at SIGGRAPH 98 this past week. This
release also includes the first concrete references to
chip speeds for the Alphas.
- Alpha chip may reach 1 GHz in '99
- News.com has a talk with Dr. Chen of API, and discuss a
brief roadmap for the Alpha 21264 family, including 1 GHz
speeds next year and copper processes further down the
road. (Simply put, Copper yields performance improvements
by reducing the resistance of traces -- the circuit
interconnects -- on chips: lower resistance means lower
power dissipation, which translates into more thermal
dissipation for the critical components, allowing them to
run faster.)
- Samsung will move Alpha line to
copper
- Samsung is working to convert its production facility to
.18 micron now, and will convert it to copper production
for the EV7.
- Compaq Offers New Line of
Powerful Graphics Accelerators for Professional
Workstations
- Compaq's PowerStorm graphics
accelerator to touch down this quarter
- Compaq expands in workstations
- Compaq's PowerStorm series gets a
boost at SIGGRAPH, with hints of a new board this fall
that will take the high-end to new highs by putting an
Alpha processor on the graphics card!
- Intel deal confirms threat
- While Compaq works with Evans &
Sutherland to build new graphics boards, Intel slips in
and purchases a chunk of E&S.
- Intel Merced vs. Alpha 21264
- A look at the capabilities and
technology in the 21264, and the business side of making
a move to 64 bits -- should you go with a proven leader
or wait for a 64 bit newbie?
- A 64-bit question
- This week's edition of FUD Alert! is from EE Times. The author, Rick
Boyd-Merritt, seems to think that Compaq is not committed
to Alpha and is just paying it lip service. That in spite
of the fact that Compaq is coming out with new servers,
new workstations, and has just sunk tens of millions of
dollars into marketing Alpha with API. If you think this
is just FUD from someone who needs to learn a little more
about Alpha, drop a note to feedback@techweb.com.
- Innosoft Makes Play For Directory
Space
- New and innovative LDAP services
for Alpha NT.
- New Version of Executive Software
Network Undelete™ File Recovery Utility Gets Files
Back Fast
- An update to the undelete product
from Executive Software is available.
- Digital Equipment Corporation
Selects MultiMedia Access’Osprey® Video Cards for
NT and UNIX Workstations
- Now, in the price range of anyone
looking to do video conferencing or media capture, here's
the Osprey-100 from Multimedia Access Corporation! The
current price for the NT board (part number SN-AV901-NT)
is $149 from Compaq; just call 800-DIGITAL for your
board!
Back to Top
Week ending 17 July,
1998
- Compaq
To Cut AlphaServer Prices
- "Now that financial stability is pretty much not a
question anymore, we're going to be aggessive in the
market to grow the AlphaServer to volume," says
Margaret-Ann Bolton, director of AlphaServer product
marketing.
- HP,
Compaq push ahead with 64-bit campaigns
- HP talks futures. Compaq cuts current prices and
discusses where Alpha will be when Merced hits the
street.
- Samsung
ASICs hit 0.25 micron
- Shades of geometries to come, ASICS get there first
pushed by the research being done for Alpha, with .18
micron on tap for next year. The execution of the plans
starts...
- Stricken
Mitsubishi backs off from Alpha
- Did Mitsubishi attack the wrong market too soon? Will
they be back? Was Alpha marketing the only thing to push
them over the edge or did the Asian economy shake them
loose just before it started its recover?
- Intel
answers FTC charges
- Intel doth protesteth too loudly, methinks. Yes, they did
say "strategic emergency" and they did call
Alpha's performance a "miracle", but now
they're saying it's not what they meant when they said it
the first time. Lawyers are soooo cool...
Back to Top
Week ending 10 July,
1998
- Compaq
Announces Combined Workstation Strategy
- A not-too-detailed look at Compaq's new workstation
lineup coming this fall to a mail order catalog or
website near you.
- Compaq
eyes future of 64-bit computing
- A slightly dated article describing Compaq's thrust into
64 bit computing from CNN, with links to several related
articles.
- Researchers
build flea-market supercomputer
- What happens when you strap together 70 Alphas from a
clone manufacturer? Why, you develop a new category of
supercomputer -- millions of dollars of performance for
less than $200,000, labor included. These systems were
put together by Los Alamos National Labs, and were doing
serious work in about a day after receipt.
- Jumbo
Frames get nod from Microsoft, Compaq
- Big frames with Gigabit Ethernet get big performance
boosts on Alphas, with support from Compaq and Microsoft
in NT, providing 64% better throughput due to less
overhead.
- Mitsubishi
drops Alpha support
- Mitsubishi finally makes it official -- they're freezing
the current Alpha plans, while retaining their licenses.
- Compaq
Computer Corporation To Use Direct Rambus Technology in
AlphaServer Enterprise Computing Platforms
- Rambus' copy of their announcement from last week.
Back to Top
Week ending 3 July,
1998
- Can
We Count On Compaq?
- Sean Gallagher takes a look at Digital's past and
speculates on Compaq's future with Digital's
technologies, bringing specific questions about 64 bit
UNIX and other non-hardware technologies.
- Compaq
opts for Rambus DRAMs in AlphaServers
- In an attempt to help commoditize Alpha even more, Compaq
plans to use Direct Rambus DRAMs in future Alpha systems
even though it may not be the best solution for
multi-gigabyte systems.
- Compaq
Integrates Servers -- Tandem, Digital acquisitions to be
melded to target corporate accounts
- "Compaq clearly has big plans for Alpha..." and
this article looks at the melding of the two product
lines from Compaq and Digital and where Alpha may be
headed with references to current products and even
Wildfire.
- Compaq
puts faith in Alpha chip
- A few misquotes lands this article in the gunsights of
users and Compaq in this week's edition of Let 'em
know what you think! Poor Ann Moore of Compaq got
tricked by the Intel sponsored C|Net News.com into making
some general comments at the Xeon product announcement
which then were taken totally out of context. Now it's
your turn -- let Michael
Kanellos know what you think of his poor quoting
capabilities and his obviously slanted approach used to
arrive at conclusions.
- Once
again, FUD does its work
- Why was the Compaq-Digital merger necessary? To save
Alpha from FUD, according to Stan Gibson at PC Week. Now
Stan's question is will Compaq be able to overcome the
FUD that Alpha brings with it?
- AIS
Ships XESS 4.0 Enterprise Spreadsheet for UNIX, OpenVMS,
and Windows NT
- Want an alternative spreadsheet? This one's
cross-platform, 3D, and BIG at 10 million rows!
- Xeon
forces rivals to deal
- News about Xeon's positioning with a brief reference to
its limitations when used in SMP systems versus Alpha and
other processors.
- Microsoft
SQL Server 7.0 Beta On Tap
- Beta 3 is scheduled for release this week, with more than
just your standard spit-and-polish finish on it.
- Compaq
merges workstations with Alpha on top
- A concise look at Compaq's plan for offering 32 and 64
bit systems, and a reference to the upcoming XP series of
workstations (although no details).
- Samsung
In Volume MPU Bid
- Yet another very positive article about API and Compaq,
with tons of great quotables, like "That's not
'Alpha on Digital Unix,' that's Alpha and Digital
Unix." referring to the new standards in the
industry and while they are compatible, they are not
dependent on each other.
Compaq, Digital, Alpha, and Alphapowered
are trademarks of Compaq Computer Corporation.
Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft.
The AlphaNT Source website and its
contents Copyright © 1998,1999,2000 by Aaron C. Sakovich
unless otherwise indicated.
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