Gentle Listers,
 
In this week's Computer Resellers News (CRN), there is a front page article
about Intel speeding up the Merced timetable.  For those who do not know,
Merced is the codename for the chip following the Pentium Pro. It is also
know as the P7.   This is a 64-bit microprocessor with perhaps as much as (or
as little as?) 400MHz.  Intel is expecting to begin sampling the chip later
this year.  Formal introductions are expected in 2nd half 1997.
 
The article goes on to say that Intel is pushing up the production schedule
for Merced, and that HP and Intel are working on a joint marketing program.
 The two companies plan to start promoting Merced in spring 1997.
 
Toward the end of the article, it is reported that "Merced will be able to
run existing 16-bit and 32-bit x86 code. In addition, HP will be designing a
derivative chip that includes the PA-RISC instruction set optimized to run
future versions of its HP-UX operating system, sources said. This work and
the joint Intel-HP venture is code-name Tahoe inside HP, sources said.  HP is
doing most of the design work, while Intel will be manufacturing the chip,
according to sources.  In addition, HP has set the stage for the migration.
 Last week, the company made some organizational and management changes to
compensate its direct-sales force for sales that are fulfilled by resellers.
. ."
 
Please not the absence of the letters MPE in the above snippet.
 
A few days ago I proposed that we take HP to task, at HP World, on getting a
decision about the future of MPE.  I suspect if we miss the HP World
opportunity in 1996, we will not be the better for it.
 
Kind regards,
 
Denys. . .