I'm *not* speaking officially for Digital (or DEC)...
The NT-only systems lack the "SRM console" code (aka "bios") that is
required by Digital UNIX and OpenVMS. The chip itself is untouched.
Linux/alpha uses the ARC console (NT's console code), so the absence of
the SRM console has no ill effects.
I suppose anything or everything above could change in future chips and
systems. AFAIK, there are no plans to change at this time.
/andy
> While researching my options for a 21164-based
> system, I found at one company a $5000 price
> difference between identical systems targeted
> for NT and (DEC, presumably) Unix.
>
> On inquiry, they indicated that DEC disables
> something at the factory for the NT system, but
> that Linux would work anyway. They could not
> tell me exactly what was being disabled, or why,
> or what effects it had on the chip.
>
> While in general I'm leary about crippled chips,
> the price difference could sway me if nothing too
> untoward is happening. Does anyone, particularly
> from DEC, have any further information about what
> is going on here?
-- Digital: We're not just DEC anymore! | (508) 952-4044 (dtn) 227-4044 Andy Riebs, Alpha Migration Tools Group | (fax) 952-4042 Digital Semiconductor | (work) riebs@amt.tay1.dec.com Digital Equipment Corporation | (home) andy@freckles.mv.com
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