Subject: Official Linux support from Digital?
From: Martin Høy (gun...@pvv.ntnu.no)
Date: Jun 30, 1998 4:32:57 am
List: com.redhat.axp-list
The following message is a courtesy copy of an article
that has been posted to comp.os.linux.alpha as well.
Digital seems to have seen the potential of Linux and is already
partly supporting it.
But what does it take to make them support the writing of better
compilers on Alpha? Surely, Digital has a lot to contribute to make
faster compilers on Linux-Alpha. I would love to see an offical port
of the Digital Unix compilers.
Martin
--
"The system required Windows 95 or better, so I installed Linux"
Mail: gun...@pvv.ntnu.no
Web: http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~gunde/
Subject: Re: Official Linux support from Digital?
From: Eric Dittman (ditt...@hibernia.dseg.ti.com)
Date: Jun 30, 1998 9:45:15 am
List: com.redhat.axp-list
Digital seems to have seen the potential of Linux and is already
partly supporting it.
But what does it take to make them support the writing of better
compilers on Alpha? Surely, Digital has a lot to contribute to make
faster compilers on Linux-Alpha. I would love to see an offical port
of the Digital Unix compilers.
I'd like to see an ODS-2 filesystem module.
--
Eric Dittman Raytheon TI Systems - Component Test Facility
ditt...@hibernia.dseg.ti.com (972) 462-4292
Disclaimer: Not even my opinions. I found them by the side of the road.
From: jrp jrp tiac net
To: axp-list redhat com
Subject: Re: Official Linux support from Digital?
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 17:01:59 -0400 (EDT)
Martin Høy writes:
> Digital seems to have seen the potential of Linux and is already
> partly supporting it.
> But what does it take to make them support the writing of better
> compilers on Alpha? Surely, Digital has a lot to contribute to make
> faster compilers on Linux-Alpha. I would love to see an offical port
> of the Digital Unix compilers.
Eric Dittman writes:
> I'd like to see an ODS-2 filesystem module.
In response to these, I'd like to point out a couple of things:
First of all, start thinking "Compaq". Although our badges and
paychecks still say "Digital", that is bound to change eventually.
More importantly, since we are now owned by Compaq, it is Compaq
management that must be convinced to support Linux-related
projects.
Second: during this time of transition it is even more vitally
important that customers make their needs known, *especially*
customers of niche products such as Linux (Yes, I know Linux will
*eventually* dominate the world, but there's a little software
house near Seattle that's been hogging the spotlight lately...)
If you want to see Compaq to expand its Linux offerings, I encourage
you to make yourselves known. Find your local Compaq field office
and tell them what you want to see. I and Maddog and the rest of
us will continue to lobby for Linux within the corporation, but
the message becomes much more powerful when confirmed by real live
customer requests.
--
Jim Paradis jrp@jrp.tiac.net "The early bird gets the worm.
http://www.tiac.net/users/jrp/index.html If you want something else for
breakfast, get up later."
From: Wes Nakamura <wknaka nakanet net>
To: axp-list redhat com
Subject: Re: Official Linux support from Digital?
Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 16:19:58 -0700 (PDT)
I read somewhere that during a recent speech Compaq said their intention
was to "wean" people from DU and move them to NT. Distressing...
: r u folks now a wholly owned subsidiary, - i mean how are the strings pulled
: - dont u have ur own set of strings reaching "still" somewhere in dec. Or
: does compaq rule out-right?
: gat
:
: jrp@jrp.tiac.net wrote:
:
: > Martin Høy writes:
: >
: > > Digital seems to have seen the potential of Linux and is already
: > > partly supporting it.
:
: > First of all, start thinking "Compaq". Although our badges and
: > paychecks still say "Digital", that is bound to change eventually.
: > More importantly, since we are now owned by Compaq, it is Compaq
From: "Jon 'maddog' Hall, USG Senior Leader" <hall zk3 dec com>
To: axp-list redhat com
Cc: hall zk3 dec com
Subject: Re: Official Linux support from Digital?
Date: Wed, 01 Jul 98 23:05:42 -0400
Wes Nakamura <wknaka@pobox.com> said:
> I read somewhere that during a recent speech Compaq said their
> intention was to "wean" people from DU and move them to NT.
> Distressing...
I head this rumor at USENIX, and when I got back I asked my management
about it, who had also heard it.
My management said that this came from a story by one correspondent who
misquoted Pfeiffer, and that Pfeiffer never said this, or even implied it.
Everything that I have heard Pfeiffer say has supported the concept of
valuing Digital Unix and what it can do, and to carrying it on into the
future.
If anyone has a direct quote on this topic, please send it to me. I would
appreciate the name of the paper it appeared in, the page number and the
reporter's name, if you have it.
I will also point out to people that while Compaq sells a LOT of
Microsoft products, I believe they are also Santa Cruz Operation's (SCO's)
largest OEM, which sells a significant number of Compaq systems.
md
--
=============================================================================
Jon "maddog" Hall Internet: maddog@zk3.dec.com
Senior Leader, UNIX Software Group Executive Director, Linux International
Compaq Computer Corporation Linux International
Mailstop ZK03-2/U15 80 Amherst St.
110 Spit Brook Rd. Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
Nashua, N.H. 03062-2698 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.compaq.com WWW: http://www.li.org
Voice: +1.603.884.1341 Voice: +1.603.672.4557
FAX: +1.603.884.6424 Board Member: Uniforum Association
Office: ZK03-2/V15 Board Member: USENIX Association
From: Tom Holroyd < tomh taz ccs fau edu>
To: axp-list redhat COM
Subject: Re: Official Linux support from Digital?
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 12:12:33 +0900 (JST)
On Wed, 1 Jul 1998, Jon 'maddog' Hall, USG Senior Leader wrote:
>Wes Nakamura < wknaka@pobox.com> said:
>
>> I read somewhere that during a recent speech Compaq said their
>> intention was to "wean" people from DU and move them to NT.
>> Distressing...
>
>My management said that this came from a story by one correspondent who
>misquoted Pfeiffer, and that Pfeiffer never said this, or even implied it.
>
>If anyone has a direct quote on this topic, please send it to me. I would
>appreciate the name of the paper it appeared in, the page number and the
>reporter's name, if you have it.
http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,23217,00.html?st.ne.ni.lh
"In the end, Compaq's aim is to migrate the Unix customers it inherited
with Digital to Windows NT while simultaneously blending the best bits of
its own high-end technology into the mainstream."
-- Michael Kanellos
Staff Writer, CNET NEWS.COM
June 16, 1998, 9:35 a.m. PT
Dr. Tom Holroyd
Behavior Control Lab, Human Informatics Dept. The basis of
National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology stability is
1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305, Japan instability.
The 9th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution:
"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
From: "Jon 'maddog' Hall, USG Senior Leader" <hall zk3 dec com>
To: axp-list redhat com
Cc: hall zk3 dec com, mark zk3 dec com
Subject: Re: Official Linux support from Digital?
Date: Wed, 01 Jul 98 23:48:10 -0400
Tom,
That does not appear to be a quote of Pfeiffer, but a statement made by
Michael Kanellos as his interpretation of Compaq's strategy. There are no
quotation marks around that statement, indicating that it is Mr. Kanellos'
words, not Mr. Pfeiffer's.
It is interesting that Mr. Kanellos makes that statement right after
these words (direct quote of Mr. Kanellos, not Mr. Pfeiffer):
"For large customers, Compaq will assert itself
as the hardware linchpin in enterprise
computing, he said. Compaq will aggressively
promote Windows NT as well as corporate
"enterprise" applications from companies such
as Oracle. At the same time, the company will
continue to invest in and promote Digital's
Alpha processor, Digital's version of the Unix
operating system, and the ServerNet clustering
technology it acquired when it bought Tandem."
In fact, the same article continues with a direct quote from Pfeiffer:
"We have placed our first priority on industry
standards going forward," he said, referring to
Windows NT "But this is not the only corporate platform
and will not be for some time to come.
"Compaq will have a signification influence on
the speed of industry standards development,"
he added, signifying that Compaq will chart its
own course for high-end corporate computing
beyond the Microsoft vision.
While this might not be conclusive to you, I think it shows that Pfeiffer
did not say "we are going to migrate all Unix users to WNT."
md
--
=============================================================================
Jon "maddog" Hall Internet: maddog@zk3.dec.com
Senior Leader, UNIX Software Group Executive Director, Linux International
Compaq Computer Corporation Linux International
Mailstop ZK03-2/U15 80 Amherst St.
110 Spit Brook Rd. Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
Nashua, N.H. 03062-2698 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.compaq.com WWW: http://www.li.org
Voice: +1.603.884.1341 Voice: +1.603.672.4557
FAX: +1.603.884.6424 Board Member: Uniforum Association
Office: ZK03-2/V15 Board Member: USENIX Association
From: "Brian E.W. Wood" < beww intac com>
To: axp-list redhat com
Cc: hall zk3 dec com
Subject: Re: Official Linux support from Digital?
Date: Wed, 01 Jul 1998 23:12:05 -0400 (EDT)
On 02-Jul-98 Jon 'maddog' Hall, USG Senior Leader wrote:
>
> I will also point out to people that while Compaq sells a LOT of
> Microsoft products, I believe they are also Santa Cruz Operation's (SCO's)
> largest OEM, which sells a significant number of Compaq systems.
And Microsoft owns 11% of SCO, although I believe they are no longer getting
royalties for the Xenix compatibility code.
(just had to point that out)
---
Brian E.W. Wood beww@intac.com
From: "Jon 'maddog' Hall, USG Senior Leader" < hall zk3 dec com>
To: beww intac com, tomh taz ccs fau edu
Cc: axp-list redhat com, hall zk3 dec com, hall zk3 dec com
Subject: Re: Official Linux support from Digital?
Date: Thu, 02 Jul 98 01:02:32 -0400
beww@intac.com said:
> And Microsoft owns 11% of SCO, although I believe they are no longer
> getting royalties for the Xenix compatibility code.
> (just had to point that out)
I am sure that every night before he goes to bed, Bill counts his $51B fortune
and says:
"Boy am I glad Microsoft owns 11% of SCO".
(sigh)
Folks, when Sun joined LI, all some people could think about is "Why would
Sun do that?" I guess I am a Pollyanna, but maybe it is just because they
wanted to sell a few more machines, or maybe even that some people inside of
Sun *like* Linux.
For Tom's question about the address inside Digital (er, ah) Compaq where you
can voice your support of Alpha Unix platforms, right now I guess there
are two places you can send them:
Mr. Pfeiffer
me
Since sending them all one at a time to Mr. Pfeiffer will only make him
pissed off in the long run, you are welcome to send them to me, and I will
roll them up for him, and present them all at once.
I would suggest including in the letter (along with whatever else you want):
Your name
Your occupation
Whether you are buying the machine for personal or business use
How many machines per year you buy (ONE is an o.k. number!! Even one
every two or three years...he will understand, and they
mount up over many people)
What type of machine you would buy (Alpha, Intel)
What size (how many megs memory, disk, etc.)
Whether you would be interested in buying support
Put as the subject line:
YET ANOTHER UNIX USER
I will guarantee you that my immediate management will look at them, at a
minimum, and I am fairly sure that they will get all the way up to Mr.
Pfeiffer, at least as a report.
md
P.S. You are also welcome to put a comment in your letter about how great
Jim Paradis and Jay Estabrook (as well as the rest of the Semiconductor team)
are at providing Alpha Linux support.....and even a nice note about moi. :-)
--
=============================================================================
Jon "maddog" Hall Internet: maddog@zk3.dec.com
Senior Leader, UNIX Software Group Executive Director, Linux International
Compaq Computer Corporation Linux International
Mailstop ZK03-2/U15 80 Amherst St.
110 Spit Brook Rd. Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
Nashua, N.H. 03062-2698 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.compaq.com WWW: http://www.li.org
Voice: +1.603.884.1341 Voice: +1.603.672.4557
FAX: +1.603.884.6424 Board Member: Uniforum Association
Office: ZK03-2/V15 Board Member: USENIX Association