At 8:56 PM -0800 1/31/03, Greg Cagle wrote:

>>>SGI has announced a 64-way NUMA Itanium II server:
>>>
>>>http://www.sgi.com/servers/altix/
>>>
>>>And it runs Linux. There's an interesting article in
>>>this past month's Linux Journal by the project manager
>>>detailing some of the mods to Linux required to support
>>>the machine. It was non-trivial 8^)
>>
>>
>>Very impressive, indeed.  But this is about SGI (and SGI,
>>proudly so, stresses that this was "Best of Show" for
>>LinuxWorld 2003).
>>
>>My worry continues to be with HP's marketing & technical
>>teams, now with SGI's :-)
>
>True. I just wanted to point out that somebody, even if it
>wasn't HP, was trailblazing with Itanium II/NUMA/Linux.

This is, precisely, why I worry about HP.  To paraphrase Greg:

      Somebody -- not HP -- is trailblazing with
      Itanium II/NUMA/Linux.


I just got a private message that provides a balanced
perspective:

>Well, IRIX is so full of holes...
>We have one in engineering, hostname SillyGraphics.

So, will these super-duper SGI machines run HP-UX or
HP-Linux?  The idea is to get the best hardware and to
bypass lousy software.  What are we to do?

Worrisome, particularly for those considering the migration
from MPE/iX to HP-UX, and then from HP-UX to HP-Linux, and
then (the way things look) from HP-Linux to SGI-Linux (or to
IBM-Linux or to whatever may be left after the dust settles).

Hopefully, the binaries will be compatible.  Whether Migrants
will have to pay license fees to SCO Group is another issue
(fortunately, according to SCO Group, "Customers with numerous
servers will receive discounts").  Don't lose hope, though,
because there is always Windows.  But will HP manage to become
the low-cost supplier of commodity Windows boxes -- or will
Migrants flock to Dell?

I got a headache just juggling these "what ifs".  I guess I
will go to bed.  Hopefully, my tired body will be able to
"invent" some nice dreams to provide soothing solace and
consolation.  WHOSE marketing team should I call for assured
reassurances?

   _______________
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  |            r  |  Alfredo                     [log in to unmask]
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  |        g      |  F. Alfredo Rego
  |      a        |  Manager, R & D Labs
  |    d          |  Adager Corporation
  |  A            |  Sun Valley, Idaho 83353-3000            U.S.A.
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