chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com (Chuck Musciano) (12/17/90)
I recently posted a reply to claims that the SPARC architecture
was dead and/or dying. In that post, I stated that MIPS was not
successful in producing a ECL MIPS chip, and that this affected
certain DEC workstation plans. After receiving some clarifying
e-mail from John Mashey, I would like to restate some of those claims:
* MIPS does have a ECL version of their MIPS archiecture
available, and shipping in small (150 units) volume.
* This volume is way too low to meet DEC's needs, thus forcing
the cancellation of the DECstation 6000.
* DEC denies that they will be abandoning MIPS, although I have
received e-mail from people within DEC that this is the case,
and that there is a push to move the entire DEC line to some
E-VAX derivative architecture. Ken Olsen has been quoted as
saying that he wants complete control of all DEC architectures.
* DEC is a MIPS semiconductor partner, and has access to the chip
designs. What use they make of this access, I don't know.
I also mentioned the existence of ECL SPARC systems from FPS Computing.
I made those statements based upon information supplied to me by FPS.
Further requests for details should be directed to FPS Computing.
I apologize for any inaccuracies I may have created or promulgated.
In general, I try to be part of the signal, not the noise, and thus this
post to gain a few dB for myself.
--
Chuck Musciano ARPA : chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com
Harris Corporation Usenet: ...!uunet!x102a!trantor!chuck
PO Box 37, MS 3A/1912 AT&T : (407) 727-6131
Melbourne, FL 32902 FAX : (407) 729-2537
A good newspaper is never good enough,
but a lousy newspaper is a joy forever. -- Garrison Keillorpcg@cs.aber.ac.uk (Piercarlo Grandi) (12/22/90)
On 17 Dec 90 13:58:48 GMT, chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com (Chuck Musciano) said: [ ... news that the MIPS ECL chip is actually out, even if in sample-like numbers (150) ... ] chuck> I also mentioned the existence of ECL SPARC systems from FPS Computing. chuck> I made those statements based upon information supplied to me by FPS. chuck> Further requests for details should be directed to FPS Computing. I have also been very fond of ECL for sentimental reasons, and I regard it as very interesting that people are trying, with some encouraging success, to make ECL microprocessors. Urrah! for MIPS and FPS. I remember that DG was developing an ECL 88K, it would be interesting to know what has become of it. It would be even more interesting to read a simple summary to why it is so much more difficult to make ECL microcomputers than CMOS ones. Is it just the technology (power dissipation comes to mind immediately) or is it that we are further down the learning curve with CMOS than ECL? -- Piercarlo Grandi | ARPA: pcg%uk.ac.aber.cs@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk Dept of CS, UCW Aberystwyth | UUCP: ...!mcsun!ukc!aber-cs!pcg Penglais, Aberystwyth SY23 3BZ, UK | INET: pcg@cs.aber.ac.uk