*BSD News Article 94525


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From: tzs@halcyon.com (Tim Smith)
Newsgroups: alt.os.linux,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: NT doesn't support MIPS anymore [ was Re: Linux or FreeBSD ...]
Date: 26 Apr 1997 18:16:31 -0700
Organization: Northwest Nexus Inc.
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Andreas Klemm <andreas@klemm.gtn.com> wrote:
>> Actually, there were. The DEC Alphas and the MIPS processors, all of
>> which NT can run on.
>
>You're deadly wrong ... Microsoft doesn't support MIPS anymore with
>their new Version 4.x.

No, you're the one who is wrong.  They won't support any future version
for MIPS, but NT 4.0 for MIPS is on the NT 4.0 CD-ROM.

>And if I remember right, then one of the other Platforms, I think
>it's Power PC, isn't supported as well anymore with NT 4.x.

That's on the NT 4.0 CD-ROM as well.

>People, who believed, that Microsoft Windows NT is a real Multiplatform
>approach are left alone.
>
>That's the way, how Microsoft makes business with you ...

Support for MIPS and PowerPC is being dropped because no one in their
right mind would be a MIPS or PowerPC to run NT.  If you are looking
for a platform to run NT, the only choices that make sense are Intel
and Alpha.  Intel if you need binary compatibility, Alpha if you don't.
For almost every conceivable reason one would want non-Intel, Alpha beats
MIPS and PowerPC, if you want NT.

PowerPC only is a sensible system if you want to run either AIX or MacOS.
People who want AIX probably aren't interested in dual-booting NT.  People
who want MacOS *can't* duel-boot NT, because of Apple's bungling with
PREP/CHRP.

--Tim Smith