I remember being excited about my first desktop computer, which had
a whopping 1.2MHz CPU. Boy, those old Apple II+s were really something: 64KB of
RAM, a 160KB 5.25" floppy drive, peripheral slots...the works. Who could
ask for more?
Now--just 15 years later--in basically the same sized box, you can have a
500MHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, 50GB of disk, audio and video capabilities, and on and
on. The list of possibilities is almost endless.
The problem nowadays isn't as much speed, but how many computers and
operating systems you need on your desk to get your job done. For example, you
use an Alpha machine for CAD, but have an Intel-based PC on your desk for simple
business applications such as word processing and spreadsheets. Digital has
attempted to solve this problem with Digital FX!32, the first full Intel Win32
emulator and translator for Windows NT.
The Problem
The issue at hand has many aspects. Can the Alpha
platform fit into mainstream business computing? Can you do your job with just
one box on your desk, and can that machine be an Alpha? Does the Alpha chip
offer performance and compatibility advantages over the market-dominating Intel
chips? Can you deploy Alpha systems right now, and can your application
developers, engineers, and other technical and nontechnical users perform all
their job functions on them? What about the cost? Or compatibility? In a
nutshell, the question is whether Alpha is ready for prime-time deployment in
the enterprise, or will it remain a niche player in the high-end workstation and
graphics markets.
To date, the Alpha chips have enjoyed remarkable support from the software
vendor community. More than 1500 native Alpha/Windows NT applications are
available today, and the list is growing. However, many packages, such as MS
Office95, desktop publishing and 2D graphics packages such as Photoshop and
business productivity packages, still simply don't exist in Alpha versions. This
lack of NT applications means that although your Alpha system is well suited to
specialized high-end applications, such as CAD, 3D animation, video editing, and
compute-intensive engineering and math applications, Alpha is not so well
adapted to general business use. You need that second PC, an Intel box, for your
regular work. And now the new Intel Pentium Pro CPUs are encroaching on the
Alpha performance domain, so the Alpha solution is coming into question.
At this point, FX!32 and Digital's new 433MHz and 500MHz CPUs step into the
scene. To answer all the questions about the Alpha system's place in the NT
market, let's look at FX!32 and these new CPUs.
One Solution
FX!32 combines an emulator and translator that can take Intel Win32 code and
dynamically convert it into Alpha-native instructions. This utility gives you
compatibility with almost every existing 32-bit Intel-based NT application,
including some programs that require special drivers (such as NewTek's LightWave
3D with its SentinelNT driver for the hardware dongle). With the final version
of FX!32 due out in mid-1997, Digital expects average performance of up to 70%
of native Alpha speed (i.e., an Intel-compiled application will run under FX!32
at about 70% of its Alpha-native counterpart's speed). Such a super-fast Alpha
CPU will outperform your Pentium-class system.
NT 4.0 has Insignia Solutions's full 486 enhanced-mode emulation for Win16
code, with multitasking of Windows 3.X and DOS applications and separate memory
spaces for each. FX!32 offers similar functionality in the 32-bit realm, under
both NT 4.0 Workstation and Server. Digital took on development of this tool
now, rather than waiting for Microsoft to incorporate similar technology
directly into NT 5.0--for details, see Alex Pournelle's, "Emulation: Out of the Lab and onto the Desktop".
FX!32 has some obvious uses and repercussions now (the initial version is
available and updates will improve performance and translated-code
optimization). The first release offers performance in the range of 30% to 50%
of native Alpha performance. Although this performance is not enough to outrun a
200MHz Pentium Pro-based system, you can immediately use your Alpha workstation
for ordinary business functions, such as word processing and spreadsheets, that
previously worked only on Intel systems. Engineers, animators, and other
technical users can now integrate office work into the same environment in which
they do their principal work.
On the developer's side, FX!32 can be a migration and porting path. You can
get your Intel-compiled products into the hands of Alpha users now, while you
work on a native port of the application. FX!32 is an important sign of support
from Digital of the Alpha/NT platform, and this commitment shows vendors that
embracing Alpha is not a waste of time, money, and effort.
Some vendors are happy waiting it out and not porting their applications.
They are content to let their programs run in a translated mode on Alpha
systems, rather than recompile. This approach may be a mistake in the long run,
as typical Alpha users are speed mongers and won't be content with 30% to 50% of
their possible system performance. Alpha users are likely to dump a translated
application and look for a native one. FX!32 is only a stopgap solution to move
Alpha-based systems into the mainstream while application developers move to
support Alpha.
Digital is putting a lot of effort and resources into this product and
remarkably, giving it away. You'll be able to download it from the Digital
Semiconductor Web site as soon as it is available in release form. FX!32 will
come standard on all newly shipped Alpha/NT systems and will eventually be part
of Windows NT.