Re: Compaq / DEC buyout (fwd)

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

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



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