At 1:44 PM -0800 1/26/98, BMM wrote:
The "Screamer 533" is currently shipping with a 533MHz Alpha. It is reviewed in this month's "Linux Journal".
On Mon, 26 Jan 1998, Jim Choate wrote:
Unless my info is seriously off DEC is already shipping 500MHz Alpha's and has 1GHz chips in test. DEC historicaly has been way ahead of Intel (say a
This is simply untrue, that DEC historically has been way ahead of Intel. The Alpha is a different type of chip. Anyone who has analyzed the past few years, the past decade, and the past couple of decades would have a hard time making the case that DEC has been ahead of Intel in the overall combination of design and manufacturing. As you should know, Intel will be making the Alpha chip, as its manufacturing capabilities are _overall_ in advance of DEC's. (Beware of comparing R&D or prototype fab capabilities with high volume fab capabilities...Intel has its own R&D fabs, currently developing 0.13 micron capabilities...DEC will not be participating in this move to sub-0.20 micron areas.) Many things go into the "who's ahead" calculation, besides just clock speed. Had that been the only significant issue, some of the aerospace companies with their VHSIC chips in the early 80s would have won. Or the Silicon on Sapphire (SOS) and GaAs processor chips...very fast, but very low-yielding. I've written a couple of long posts on this, and won't here. Of course, if I am wrong, and Intel is behind the other chip or computer companies in this overall ability, there are some mightly good investment opportunities, either in selling Intel short or in buying the stock of AMD, Compaq, Sun, etc. We can each put our money where our mouth is. So far, I've done awfully well holding the Intel stock I acquired in the 1970s. "The past is no guarantee of future behavior," as the disclaimor goes, but I have seen no reason to sell the bulk of my holdings. --Tim May The Feds have shown their hand: they want a ban on domestic cryptography ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, ComSec 3DES: 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^2,976,221 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."