notes@okstate.UUCP (10/29/84)
From: cmcl2!rna!rocky2!cubsvax!wu1!rf%seismo.uucp@BRL-TGR
A brief study of the microprocessor market:
8086 Family. Itty-bitty business computers, at least until IBM
comes out with the IBM-pc/xa, which will allow arrays larger than
64K. Operating system: pc-dos extensively modified by IBM.
68,000 family. Graphics machines. From Macintosh (for home use)
to Sun Microsystems. Some scientific, medium scale communications
applications. No floating point standard (a major disadvantage for
scientific use); inadequate memory management. Operating systems:
Unix System V, Apple Mac.
National Semiconductor 32,000 family. The workhorse of future
medium-scale transaction-processing computers. Contender for
medium-scale scientific use. Contender for medium-scale (in
networks, large-scale) business use. Standard floating point and
paged virtual memory management. Operating systems: Genix (Berkely
4.2 Unix), various Unices with transaction processing support.
Open markets:
The 4 to 16 terminal business computer. Probable occupants: IBM,
DEC. A much expanded IBM-pc, a small VAX, a small 4300. Possibly
an NS 32,000-based system from some as-yet unknown company. The
IBM series 30 (system/34, system/36, system/38) is self-limiting
and will soon be too costly for this market. The series 30 is
massively incompatable with existing software. If IBM sells 4300s
to this market they may run VM -- certainly not DOS or OS.
Conceivably, some unknown could capture this market.
The automated office. Possible occupants: IBM, Apple, DEC. It's
not yet clear whether workstation networks or medium-scale
computers will fill this niche. At the moment, Apple has the best
workstation for this application, but will be releasing their
network early in 1985. IBM will also release a pc network in 1985.
1985 promises to be an interesting year. On the medium-scale
computer side, either VAXen or 4300s running VM are possibilities.
At the moment, DEC has the better system. Conceivably, some
unknown could capture this market.
The next home computer. Possible occupants: the Apple Macintosh
(68,000 processor), the Mindset (80186 with graphics co-processor.)
Probably the market will go to one of those two; possibly to both.
Randolph Fritz
UUCPnet: {ihnp4,decvax}!philabs!wu1!rf
If economists predicted weather, we'd never speak of seasons.bcase@uiucdcs.UUCP (11/01/84)
[wo wo here she comes, watch out boy she'll chew you up, she's a line eater]
You have left out HP with their RISC-chip family: Spectrum. You have
left out the 68020. You have left out whatever RISC-like thing that
DEC will do. You have left out the Z80000. ....
bcasehenry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (11/01/84)
> You have left out HP with their RISC-chip family: Spectrum. You have > left out the 68020. You have left out whatever RISC-like thing that > DEC will do. You have left out the Z80000. .... Obviously he was discussing only *real* chips, not vaporware. Well, I may be insulting HP -- I'm not sure about their chips -- but the others you mention are all in the Real Soon Now category. With chip manufacturers, Real Soon Now often means Maybe Someday. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry
mwm@ea.UUCP (11/02/84)
/***** ea:net.micro / uiucdcs!bcase / 3:17 pm Oct 31, 1984 */
[wo wo here she comes, watch out boy she'll chew you up, she's a line eater]
You have left out HP with their RISC-chip family: Spectrum. You have
left out the 68020. You have left out whatever RISC-like thing that
DEC will do. You have left out the Z80000. ....
bcase
/* ---------- */
RISC-like thing from DEC? Are you kidding?
DEC just "announced" three new micro-class machines: The VAXSTATION I, a
MICROVAX I packaged like a SUN; the PRO 380, a J11 (PDP-11/70 on a chip)
box; and the DECMATE III, yet another z80 box. None of these in any way
resembles a RISC, and the three of them pretty well cover the spectrum of
single-user machines.
<mikebcase@uiucdcs.UUCP (11/06/84)
> /* Written 1:21 pm Nov 2, 1984 by mwm@ea in uiucdcs:net.micro */ > /***** ea:net.micro / uiucdcs!bcase / 3:17 pm Oct 31, 1984 */ > [wo wo here she comes, watch out boy she'll chew you up, she's a line eater] > > You have left out HP with their RISC-chip family: Spectrum. You have > left out the 68020. You have left out whatever RISC-like thing that > DEC will do. You have left out the Z80000. .... > > bcase > /* ---------- */ > RISC-like thing from DEC? Are you kidding? > > DEC just "announced" three new micro-class machines: The VAXSTATION I, a > MICROVAX I packaged like a SUN; the PRO 380, a J11 (PDP-11/70 on a chip) > box; and the DECMATE III, yet another z80 box. None of these in any way > resembles a RISC, and the three of them pretty well cover the spectrum of > single-user machines. > > <mike > /* End of text from uiucdcs:net.micro */ Nonetheless, I predict that DEC will have some sort of RISC-like thing in a workstation sometime. Gullibly yours, bcase
phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (11/07/84)
> RISC-like thing from DEC? Are you kidding? > <mike Stranger things *have* been known to happen. I'm not an official source but I wouldn't be surprised.
johnl@godot.UUCP (11/09/84)
Usually Reliable Sources say that DEC's western research lab in Palo Alto is working on a machine descended in some degree from the Stanford MIPS, which is a RISC-like design. John Levine, ima!johnl
henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer) (11/11/84)
> Usually Reliable Sources say that DEC's western research lab in Palo Alto > is working on a machine descended in some degree from the Stanford MIPS, > which is a RISC-like design. I would be surprised if DECWRL *wasn't* investigating RISC machines. But a research project and a product announcement are poles apart. -- Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry