From nathanm Mon Oct 01 11:42:05 1990
To: billg; bradsi;
Subject: SPARC, MIPS & Compaq
DateL Tue Oct 02, 22:57:14 1990
Recent events show that we are more in danger than ever of losing the
key early ground to SPARC, which puts our long term systems business in
serious doubt. Compaq is considering SPARC, as well as friendlier
options, and now Olivetti is too.
..
There is considerable sentiment that we should adopt a strategy of
appeasement towards Compaq. This means not pushing any other strategy
for fear that it will enrage them and push them to SPARC. If we succeed
in appeasing them, we'll have half hearted support, and if they go with
SPARC or a poor non-SPARC strategy then we lose our systems business.
This approach is crazy because there is no recovery plan. It is
motivated by our fear that without Compaq we won't have a market - the
Big Deal syndrome. I think the time has come to start pursuing our own
strategic direction.
..
We would formally announce Win 32, and make sure that a portion of the
announcement mentioned x86 as well.
- We would announce the creation of the Win 32/MIPS binary standard
discussed in point 4 above. We would publicly hit on each of the points
mentioned there.
..
A major part of the message is your investment in Windows is safe - we
are going to address 32 bits, and beyond that we will address RISC. You
can go ahead and ignore Sun and that crap because Windows has all bases
covered.
..
The purpose of announcing early like this is to freeze the market at the
OEM and ISV level. In this respect it is JUST like the original Windows
announcement ..
One might worry that this will help Sun because we will just have
vaporware, that people will stop buying 486 machines, that we will have
endorsed RISC but not delivered .. So, Scott, do you really think you
can fight that avalanche?
http://edge-op.org/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/010807/PLEX_0411_A.pdf
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