Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!wuarchive!udel!haven!mimsy!mojo!SYSMGR@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU
From: sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: MIPS, Compaq and Microsoft in bed - NYT story
Message-ID: <009441DD.664D58E0@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU>
Date: 12 Feb 91 15:32:51 GMT
References: <29920@usc> <UbhCgwu00VpcACYYMo@andrew.cmu.edu> <0094412A.15FE5B40@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU>,<1991Feb11.221951.4758@berlioz.nsc.com>
Sender: news@eng.umd.edu (C-News)
Reply-To: sysmgr@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU (Doug Mohney)
Organization: The U. of MD, CP, CAD lab
Lines: 29

In article <1991Feb11.221951.4758@berlioz.nsc.com>, my@berlioz.nsc.com (Michael Yip) writes:
>>..... I find it MORE interesting that Compaq has, along with Sony,
>>chosen to use MIPS chips, while Toshiba and CompuAdd have thrown in their hands
>>with SPARC. 
>
>I think that Compaq is really looking around for the "next generation" of
>processors.  In addition to the MIPS/MS/Compaq story from NY Times, Compaq
>is also investing in NexGen Inc.  NexGen is currently working on the i386
>chip clone [and their schudele is delayed a lot].

Compaq invested in NexGen because they did not want to be enslaved to Intel on
PC/DOS boxes. 

THeir choice of getting into the UNIX/RISC workstation market was MIPS. Does
this make MIPS the heart of all PCs down to the $1000 Amiga-replacements?:-)
Uhh, I think that's stretching it. Is there a market for a "hobbyiest's RISC?"
Is anyone building a "Hobbyiest RISC?" Dunno. 

Is there room for UNIX/RISC workstations in the business world? Maybe, if you
get some "killer" applications ported to the proper platforms. What are the
"killer" business applications? Optical character recognition, some sort of
"agent" task to sort through tons of data, and faster, stronger databases &
spreadsheets, using <buzzword alert> multimedia techniques where appropriate.



 Doug Mohney, Operations Manager, CAD Lab/ME, Univ. of Maryland College Park
	        *       Ray Kaplan for DECUS president     *
                          SYSMGR@CADLAB.ENG.UMD.EDU