| Which Windows? | Don't Close Your Old Windows | NT's Portable Power | NT Storms the Server | Mixing It Up: Win95 Features In NT Workstation |
One-on-One: Win95 and NT |
From the very beginning, Microsoft NT product leader David Cutler insisted that NT would be a portable operating system, capable of running on both Intel and RISC (Mips, PowerPC and Alpha) chips. This approach, Cutler reasoned, would ensure that no matter which processor won the chip war, NT would run on it.
No other high-volume operating system matches NT's portability. The closest competitor is Sun Microsystems' Solaris, which is available for Sun's own RISC processor (dubbed Sparc), Intel's x86 and the PowerPC. Most other operating systems-including Win95 and OS/2-were written for a single processor architecture. Despite occasional rumors claiming otherwise, Win95 will never support RISC (although it can run on Apple PowerMacs equipped with an optional Intel board). IBM fans note that OS/2 Warp and a new microkernel were ported to the PowerPC. But because of weak customer demand, IBM last winter halted further development on Warp for PowerPC.
Ironically, NT is witnessing some of the same problems on RISC. WinMag Editor-at-Large John D. Ruley revealed in his October column that an estimated 95 percent of NT's installed base is on x86 systems, making RISC application development far less lucrative for software companies. Indeed, most NT applications are offered first on x86, with RISC support to be added "at a later date."
Complicating matters, NEC has stopped shipping Mips systems in North America (they're still available in Japan), and Canon has abandoned the NT PowerPC market by selling its FirePower Systems (http://www.firepower.com) to Motorola. The Intel empire is so confident about its dominance that it canceled upcoming Pentium processor price cuts. The reductions had been scheduled for this year's Christmas buying season.
If you require NT on RISC, you do have options. Digital, for instance, has carved a small but respectable niche for itself selling NT on Alpha to corporate America. Also, Microsoft has promised delivery of its NT business applications simultaneously across x86 and Alpha.
The prospects for NT on RISC may further improve when Apple Computer ships PowerPC platform-compliant systems next year. The forthcoming PowerMac systems will be able to run Mac OS and NT. Insiders say Apple may even ship PowerMacs preinstalled with NT Workstation and NT Server.
Meanwhile, application support for NT for RISC is slim but improving. NT 4.0 includes an upgraded emulation package from Insignia Solutions that lets NT for RISC run enhanced-mode Win16 applications, such as Lotus Development's Ami Pro 3.1. Moreover, Digital is developing specialized "translation" software that will let Alpha systems run 32-bit Wintel (Windows on Intel) applications at Pentium-class speeds. Digital's translation software, called FX!32, is expected to hit the streets around the time you read this. Though promising, FX!32 has drawbacks. It demands about 100MB of disk space, and won't run Win32 apps containing 16-bit code or assembly code. Digital expects FX!32 to be factory-installed on all Alpha systems, and will post it on the Web (http://www.digital.com) for free download by current Alpha users.
| Which Windows? | Don't Close Your Old Windows | NT's Portable Power | NT Storms the Server | Mixing It Up: Win95 Features In NT Workstation |
One-on-One: Win95 and NT |