SGI says it will phase out it MIPS, Irix and Windows NT systems and focus on Linux. SGI says that it will contribute some of its Irix technologies to Linux. SGI also says it will phase out its use of MIPS processors. It appears that the above Unices will dwindle down to Monterey, HP-Unix, Solaris, and Tru64. All of the above Unices will run on Intel's Merced processor, except for Tru64. Support for MIPS and HP-PA-RISC, will likely be discontinued. Monterey, HP-Unix, and Solaris will/do support Linux binaries. AIX/Monterey will likely continue to be supported on Power/PowerPC. Thus convergence is taking place on some of the above Unices and onto the Intel Merced chip.

BSD Unix versions

Linux distributions

OS/2 Warp 4 - by IBM for Intel processors

OS/2 Warp Version 4 runs Java, OS/2, most Windows 3.1 applications, and MS/PC/DR-DOS applications. It also includes a speech recognition system for dictation and navigating the desktop. It comes bundled with a "Bonus Pak" which includes internet, multimedia, and IBM Works software. Version 3 includes many of version 4's features except for Java and voice recognition. I recently purchased version 3 to upgrade my MS-DOS/Windows 3.1 system. Complete new copies of OS/2 Warp 3 (including the Win-OS/2 code for Windows 3.1 support) can be purchased at eBAY auctions for less than $15! My secondary computer is running a triple boot of TurboLinux, OS/2 Warp 3, and DR-DOS 7.03 with Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (Windows is on this computer as a backup system). My primary computer is currently running IBM PC-DOS 7 (no MS-DOS 6.22 on this computer!) and Windows 3.1.

As of October 6, 1999 I decided to stop listing DOS operating systems and the GUI's that run on top of them. That is because sales of such systems have virtually ceased, except in the embedded space. Also OS/2 Warp has DOS support while at the same time being able to run Windows 3.1 applications. Now that OS/2 Warp 3 can be purchased for less than $15, there is little reason to buy MS/PC/DR-DOS.

Other operating systems

Here is a website that sells alternative platform computers, such as Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 128 (which can run CP/M), Macintosh, and others. The website also sells solar energy products.

Collectible Computers (& Solar Products) for Sale

OS and CPU Trends - Updated 9/11/99

Microsoft and Compaq's Digital Equipment division have announced they will discontiune support of Windows NT for Alpha processors (per news articles and press releases). However Linux support is rapidly growing. Linux already runs on old Macs (even Amigas and Atari ST's) and PowerPC-based Macs including G3 PowerPC-based Macs such as the iMac. Linux also runs on Alpha, SPARC, UltraSPARC, and on sample chips of Merced. Linux will be the core OS in the new Amiga Operating Enrivonment computers (if Gateway doesn't discontinue the project). Linux runs on MIPS, Palm Pilots, PowerPC Mac clones, IBM's PowerPC based computers and servers, and soon to be available PowerPC Open Platform (POP)-based computers (see below for a definition of POP). Linux runs on HP PA-RISC and other cpus. Linux runs on some set-top boxes. Unix vendors (IBM, Sun, and SCO for example) have added Linux binary support to their OS's.

Apparently Windows NT is not very portable (new versions of NT do not run on PowerPC, MIPS, SPARC, or UltraSPARC for example), but Linux is popping up on every platform. Besides sprouting up everywhere Linux is also quickly becoming easier to use and it can be obtained for free or nominal cost. How can Windows possibly win a fight against Linux? Resitance of Linux by Microsoft is futile! People say that the Mac platform is closed and that the Microsoft platform is open. But compared to Linux, Windows 3.1.95/98/NT is a closed platform and Linux is truely open. I truely believe that Microsoft Windows software has begun a decline that will lead to it eventually loosing its most popular OS status (perhaps within 5 years). 1999 will be remembered by historians as the year that Windows began to loose its leadership position due to the onslaught of Linux.

I'm glad to see that NT is becoming unpopular on non-Intel chips. It is beginning to look like Alpha will eventually decline in popularity as POP motherboards and POP computers appear and when 64-bit PowerPC chips appear. With SGI phasing out MIPS and Sun shifting emphasis to Merced and away from Sparc/UltraSPARC, PowerPC (or Transmeta?) will likely become the dominant non-x86 cpu. When that happens, the anti-WinTel opposition will become mainstream.

The Unix family will dwindle down to HP-Unix, Monterey, Solaris, BSD variants, and Linux variants (including Amiga Operating Environment). All Unices will be able to run Linux binaries. Consumer versions of MS-DOS and its compatibles will only exist as part of other operating systems, such as the Windows variants, OpenLinux, and OS/2. Mac OS X (including server version) will be viable.

The dominant cpus (for servers, desktops, and laptops) will be Merced (and its successors) and Power/PowerPC. The PowerPC will increase in popularity because: 1) PowerPC-based Macs are increasing in market share, 2)Linux development on Alpha will cease and shift to PowerPC, 3) non-Apple PowerPC Open Platform (POP) motherboards and computers will emerge (even if they don't run the Mac OS variants), 4) MIPS (except for hand-helds), Sparc, UltraSparc, PA-RISC, and Alpha will be discontinued and a 64-bit PowerPC cpu will be released. It is unclear if there will be a Merced compatible version of Athlon and if Athlon will be viable after consumer versions of Merced eventually appear.

Discussion of PowerPC Platform History and POP

First there was PowerPC Reference Platform (PReP) which had PS/2 and Parallel ports but no Mac ports. Apple had their PowerMac platform with Mac ports but no PC - PS/2 ports.

Then IBM and Apple agreed on the Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP) with support for both Mac ROMs (or a slot for optional Mac ROMs) PS/2 ports, pc parallel, ADB, and Mac serial, but Apple didn't allow any true CHRP systems to ship. Then it was renamed to PowerPC Common Hardware Platform (PPCP) and renamed back to CHRP because it was too hard to pronounce PPCP. The platform specs were later expanded to inlcude USB, Firewire, and the G3 processor.

Then Apple terminated cloning of Macs and stopped licensing the Mac OS. However Apple did come out with CHRP-like Macs called the iMac and iBook. These computers replaced the Apple proprietary ports (ADB and Mac serial) with USB ports. However there is no built-in support of PC serial, parallel, or PS/2 ports (though there are some third party adaptors). Apple also introuced an Open Firmware ROM and reduced the size/quantity of the Mac ROMs with the introduction of the iMac/iBook line.

Now IBM is preparing a new PowerPC platform specification called PowerPC Open Platform (POP), apparently because it apparently lacks all Apple proprietary technologies. We should not refer to this platform as CHRP because it does not have any proprietary Apple Mac technologies, instead it is called Open (meaning Apple can't interfere with licensing because no Mac ROMs, ADB, or Mac serial are used).

Here are the IBM links about POP: IBM POP text link and IBM POP GIF link.

The GIF shows Serial 1,2 (PC?), Keyboard/Mouse (PS/2?), and Parallel, but no USB is shown. There is also no Mac Serial or ADB shown in the GIF. Hence even a CHRP version of the Mac OS might have difficulty booting on this. The spec is more like a modern version of the orginal IBM PReP specification. The keyboard and mouse ports are probably the PS/2 because the board is described as being an ATX form factor.

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