Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

End In Sight For Alpha

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the out-with-a-bang dept.

minektur writes "news.com has an article stating that DEC ... I mean Compaq .... Uh, I mean HP has decided to EOL the once mighty Alpha architecture. Let's all take a moment of silence." I was lucky enough to have access to a 533 MHz Alpha back when the fastest Pentiums were only around 200 MHz, and the Alpha architecture earned a special place in my heart. It will be missed.

15 of 422 comments (clear)

  1. Maybe VIA will buy it off of HP! by Newer+Guy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Then you'll see it for 29.95 on Pricewatch..and not need a fan. I can see it now.. the VIA/Cyrix Alpha DLC!

  2. Alpha gone, but the best is yet to come. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    The Alpha chipset was fortold in the aincient scriptures, "I am the ALPHA" God mentioned more than once. This is where it gets interesting -- "And The OMEGA", God added. All of the core prophets prosthesized of Gods eventual metamorpheses to "OMEGA". It is widely believed now by computer industry analysts that they were referring to the coming release of the first Microsoft created CPU and chipset, named "OMEGA".
    Bill Gates said at NorCON '02 that Microsofts products in the next five years would become the cornerstone of peoples mental and physical existences, again, he is referring to "OMEGA".

  3. Alpha? by JanusFury · · Score: 5, Funny

    Alpha's dead? I thought BSD was dead.

    --
    using namespace slashdot;
    troll::post();
  4. Unbelievable by jsse · · Score: 5, Funny

    Imagine telling this to a geek just back from a 15-year coma:

    "HP finally decides to retire Alpha..."
    "HP bought Alpha?!"
    "Yeah, after they merged with Compaq, which bought DEC..."
    "Compaq bought DEC????!!!!!"

    1. Re:Unbelievable by SecretAsianMan · · Score: 3, Funny

      Good idea. I'll use the diversion to steal his VAXen. I've been looking for a good heating system for this winter.

      --

      Washington, DC: It's like Hollywood for ugly people.

    2. Re:Unbelievable by RajivSLK · · Score: 5, Funny

      A geek who who awoke from a 15 year comma would probably be put in a lab and studied.

      "Dr. you say this geek has no knowledge of 'Slashdot'? Truely amazing..."

      They would probably put throw him into a basement in the depths of IBM to write legacy code for 15 year old applications. Unaware of recent advents such as 'the web', 'slashdot' and 'massive internet pr0n archives' he would be the most productive geek ever.

    3. Re:Unbelievable by TummyX · · Score: 3, Funny

      Great. You'd put him into another 15-year coma.

    4. Re:Unbelievable by _Spirit · · Score: 4, Funny

      I know spelling can be bad around here but a 15 year COMMA ? Hell I would have trouble making a 15 year point.

      --

      beauty is only a light switch away

  5. Re:Alphas by SecretAsianMan · · Score: 3, Funny
    the name varies from OSF/1 to Digital UNIX to Tru64

    And I still wonder why they dropped ULTRIX way back when. That's gotta be the coolest OS name ever.

    --

    Washington, DC: It's like Hollywood for ugly people.

  6. My XL 300 by IcarusMoth · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm going to go and have a nice cry with my XLT 300, after finally getting linux to run on it. I love my Alpha I got mine used from a company called Great lakes computing, I know they still sell them. I got mine for $750 like 5 years ago, and with Debian on it, It Rocks Hard!! Now If you must excuse me, I need to get some kleenex "OH Hal, I have some bad news"

  7. Re:Alphas by MavEtJu · · Score: 5, Funny

    if they could run something other than NT/AIX

    *cough* freebsd *cough*

    --
    bash$ :(){ :|:&};:
  8. A shame by bryan1945 · · Score: 3, Funny

    the Beta never got released...

    --
    Vote monkeys into Congress. They are cheaper and more trustworthy.
  9. Re:This might just be a good thing by scaprallion · · Score: 5, Funny

    I recall a conversation with a Digital rep a few years back where he claimed his company would've marketed fried chicken as "warm dead bird". I have to agree. The Alpha was a *great* architecture that never went anywhere due to lack of marketing.

    --
    First things first, but not necessarily in that order. - Doctor Who
  10. Re:RIP Alpha... by Keith_Beef · · Score: 3, Funny
    HP has got some major huevos man, making such a drastic shift in technology requires it

    And HP is putting all those huevos in one basket...

  11. Re:The day of a single very powerful CPU is over.. by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 3, Funny

    if I can stack together a few cheap chips to
    rival a single high performance chip, what would I do?

    You'd probably fly to work on a unicorn, and eat sunshine and moonbeams for lunch, because you'd be in Fantasy Land.

    (Given today's existing products and sufficiently meaningful values for 'a few', 'cheap', 'rival', and 'high performance', that is)