IBM still commands a following, and a clone market in PowerPC systems is emerging
Dennis Allen
At the Computex computer show in Taiwan during June, the big news was PowerPC systems. Computex is an annual trade show held in Taipei, where mostly Taiwanese manufacturers trot out their wares in an effort to sell them to distributors and OEMs. Getting lost in a sea of steel computer cases, power supplies, and the omnipresent ``green PCs'' at Computex is an easy task. Taiwan is now a manufacturing giant, although it isn't generally known for its technological leaps and innovations.
Nonetheless, some standout manufacturers are setting their own pace. Notable among these companies are U-Lead Software, which developed PhotoStyler, and D-Link, which makes sophisticated networking hardware. Also notable are the compani
es participating in the Taiwan New PC Consortium, which were showing prototype systems that are compliant with PReP (PowerPC Reference Platform).
The TNPC Consortium includes companies like Tatung that were demonstrating working PowerPC-based systems. Interestingly, the system motherboards did not come from IBM Microelectronics--like the prototype PowerPC systems BYTE saw at the CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany, in March. Instead, these manufacturers claimed the designs as their own, and the moniker ``TNPC'' was etched alongside the circuitry on the board.
The operating system running on the machines was a preliminary version of Windows NT. It was a later version than had been used on PowerPC systems demonstrated at CeBIT. Given that the TNPC demonstrations were held jointly with IBM (which was not showing its Power Personal systems), it's worth noting that none of the systems were running OS/2 for PowerPC.
Because the companies claim their systems are PReP-compliant, it's fair to assume t
hat the TNPC systems will run all five operating systems that IBM has announced its Power Personal systems will run: AIX with Wabi (Windows Application Binary Interface), OS/2 for PowerPC, Windows NT, Solaris, and Taligent. Like the systems, none of the operating systems are ready for prime time.
Just which operating system will come with PowerPC systems is still in question. The key point that should not be lost is that no one--except Mac users--wants to buy desktop systems that do not adequately run existing Windows applications. While that point may lead a lot of folks to a knee-jerk decision in favor of Windows NT in the short term, there's a non-Windows long-term consideration, too.
Specifically, OS/2 for PowerPC looks promising for large organizations from a strategic point of view. While we cannot fully consider the technical merits of each operating system until all of them and the hardware systems are available, we can ponder IBM's announcement about its future. That future, according t
o Lou Gerstner, CEO of IBM, is the Workplace operating system. And Workplace for the PowerPC is spelled ``OS/2.''
The scenario is this: All IBM systems, from portables to mainframes, will eventually be based on the Power (as in PowerPC) architecture. That will allow all IBM systems to run a version of the same operating system--namely, Workplace. Sounds like real potential for seamless integration, doesn't it? It also sounds like Utopia, which it will not be. Still, it's the argument that IBM will be making, and it's going to be a compelling one.
How long will it take for IBM to move its entire product line to the Power architecture, and can IBM implement Workplace seamlessly across all its platforms? Only time will provide those answers.
Meanwhile, the TNPC Consortium is hedging its bets that IBM might succeed. Other companies are doing the same. You can expect the big rollout of PowerPC systems at Comdex in Las Vegas in November. There may be earlier announcements, but the unavoidable f
ocus of discussion at Comdex will be PowerPC.
Several of the TNPC companies will be at Comdex to officially introduce their PowerPC systems. Some may carry the private label of another computer company. The impact of the TNPC companies, however, will be clear: IBM still commands a following, and as the Taiwanese companies demonstrate their willingness and ability to deliver PowerPC systems, there will be no doubt that a new clone market is emerging.
DENNIS ALLEN, EDITOR IN CHIEF
(
dallen@bix.com
)
PowerPCs from Taiwan
