On Jan 13, 2004, at 12:13 AM, Joe Toon wrote: > Why does Intel supporting Linux =3D Intel losing Windows market share?=20= > Intel is in a very powerful position. They have lots of cash ($11.8=20 > billion, $22.3 billion in current assets as of September 27th), great=20= > brand recognition, dominance in their markets and all around a very=20 > stable, healthy company. Thanks to you and everyone else who responded. You have given me lots=20 of food for thought. > > By supporting Linux in a big way, it gives them even more exposure and=20= > distinction from the "Wintel" association. This helps them move their=20= > chips into more lucrative segments of the industry (servers) by=20 > increasing sales of 64bit chips, Xeon chips, etc. A good thing for=20 > Intel. But AFAICT it is exactly the Wintel association that is responsible for=20= their success. It's not like x86 was the best chip. There have been=20 much better chips around that just vanished because they couldn't run=20 Windows. And that includes better chips from Intel. Remember the i960?=20= I do take your point about Linux giving them entr=E9e into the high end=20= market that was dominated by Solaris, AIX, HP/UX and a bunch of=20 proprietary *nix. But having a foot in the door and successfully=20 competing are different things. I think that space was HP's for the=20 taking and they just blew it > > In addition to this, it gives Intel some additional leverage against=20= > Microsoft. What is Microsoft going to do? Rewrite all of their=20 > software for a completely different chip? Microsoft made a choice to=20= > be exclusive to the x86 platform (remember, they use to support MIPs,=20= > Alpha, etc with NT3/NT4..) which for all intents and purposes means=20 > they are locked into using Intel chips. The fact that Intel has leverage against MS and does not have leverage=20= against Linux was precisely the point of my question. It does raise an=20= interesting question though. How portable is Windows? Do we have any=20 assurance that MS doesn't keep versions of Windows for different=20 architectures in house? I'm not discounting the point made by Craig and=20= a few others that Microsoft is perfectly capable of finding another=20 partner if Intel got too 'uppity'. > Microsoft is having a hard enough time convincing people to upgrade=20 > from Windows 98 to an NT based system to the point where they ended up=20= > extending support for Windows 98 for another 2.5 years -- much less=20 > trying to convince people to port to a completely different hardware=20= > platform. > > I honestly don't see how supporting Linux will be a bad thing for=20 > Intel. It will provide a vehicle for Intel to gain market share for=20= > servers. But they loose their near monopoly on the desktop and they actually=20 have to compete for the server space on the technical merit of their=20 processor. > The long term, with companies such as IBM (and most likely Novell)=20 > porting their entire company infrastructure over to Linux could easily=20= > provide the case studies necessary for other companies and individuals=20= > to use Linux as their primary desktops (not to mention the catalyst to=20= > get commercial software ported to Linux). Given the fact Linux CAN run=20= > on different processors, I think Intel would be crazy not to ensure=20 > that Linux runs BEST on their own processors (or at least very=20 > competitive with other processors). I think that's going to be hard for them. The competition has a simpler=20= instruction set and smaller, cooler, less power hungry chips. Spark may=20= be faltering under Sun's care but Hitachi seems to be picking up the=20 slack. Then there's PPC. And any new architecture that comes out of the=20= woodwork. Linux doesn't care. > > > Chris Gehlker wrote: >> =46rom everything I read, Intel is a big Linux supporter. Now they=20= >> are joining IBM and others in setting up the legal defense fund for=20= >> Linux users. I think that's great but I don't understand the=20 >> business logic. In a Windows world people are pretty much stuck on=20 >> Intel iron except for AMD which is a much smaller company. With=20 >> Linux, they can migrate away from Intel any time. So why is Intel=20 >> pursuing a strategy that can cost them market share. > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss