Newsgroups: comp.os.vms,comp.sys.dec Path: news.mitre.org!blanket.mitre.org!philabs!newsjunkie.ans.net!newsfeeds.ans.net!news-was.dfn.de!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!nntp.ntr.net!uunet!in1.uu.net!world!news From: Terry Shannon Subject: Will "Alpha is Toast" Become a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? Sender: news@world.std.com (Mr Usenet Himself) Message-ID: <3475ECD2.5196@world.std.com> Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 20:19:30 GMT Reply-To: shannon@world.std.com Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 References: <63d177$ri9@flonk.uk.sun.com> <346C4EA7.358C8E67@yes.optus.com.au> <64ia1i$of4$2@joe.rice.edu> <34753FEF.1EB6@mail.dec.com> <654lek$ajm$1@flea.best.net> Nntp-Posting-Host: world.std.com Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win95; I) Organization: Shannon Knows DEC Lines: 63 Xref: news.mitre.org comp.os.vms:183641 comp.sys.dec:59443 Herewith the commentary from the mid-November issue of Shannon Knows DEC. I can't for the life of me figure out why Digital continues to employ defrocked "spin paramedics" whilst every other vendor relies on real Spin Doctors. Go figure. Ironic as it may seem, the tentative settlement of the Recent Unpleasantness between DEC and Intel poses as many questions as it answers. On the bright side, Digital’s access to the latest Intel iron at attractive prices is assured, Digital UNIX is poised to boldly go where no DEC Unix offering has gone before, and the firm no longer is weighted down by the ever-so-pricey Fab-6 albatross. Despite all the Good News, one key question remains unanswered to the satisfaction of the marketplace: Is Alpha by Intel really Omega for Alpha? In an Internet poll conducted by online newsmaven NEWS.COM, 52 percent of the respondents said that the deal will help proliferate Alpha, while 48 percent of those surveyed claimed that the deal presages Digital’s abandonment of the fastest processor on the planet. SKD’s recent discussions with customers paint a much, much bleaker picture for Alpha. The October 30 issue of the Wall Street Journal added fuel to the fire with its after-action report on the DEC/Intel settlement. The “Demise of Alpha” lead story in the November 3 issue of PC Week didn’t help much, either. Nor did the “Interest In Alpha Will Wane” subhead in the “Digital Sells Its Chip Business” article in the latest edition of Microprocessor Report. SKD’s initial take on this matter was contrary to Conventional Wisdom. And having heard from Claflin, Lipcon, and Melling at DECUS, we’d like to stick by our “win-win” assessment. If DEC properly markets and promotes the architecture, Alpha will remain a viable product line extender in the IA64 era. But the unfortunate fact remains that SKD represents a minority opinion: a significant number of journalists and pundits claim that the Intel settlement seals the fate of Alpha. Equally unfortunate is Digital’s apparent decision to eschew damage control and a proactive communication strategy. The 1600-odd DECUS attendees who heard from Digital’s Big Dogs may feel confident about Alpha, but this feeling isn’t shared by the vast majority of DEC customers. In response to an SKD question regarding plans to launch an Alpha evangelism campaign, Bob Palmer cited a 30 percent increase in DEC’s FY98 advertising budget. Sadly, there was no mention of an Alpha Acceleration campaign. Will “Alpha is Toast” become a self-fulling prophecy? Good question. On one hand, the press has a penchant to assume the worst, and it’s the nature of pundits to prognosticate. On the other hand, DEC’s rivals have demonstrated their ability to exploit FUD with brutal effectiveness, and the current concerns regarding the future of Alpha provide a tailor-made opportunity to strike again. Will they do so? You can bet on it! Accordingly, now would be a very good time for DEC’s marcomm folks to deal with the Alpha Uncertainty in an aggressive and proactive manner. Terry Shannon Publisher, Shannon Knows DEC Who hopes he won't have to rename the newsletter to Shannon KNEW DEC