From: david+usenet@zx.net.nz   
      
   In article <10bfg8o$3d9e6$1@dont-email.me>, ldo@nz.invalid says...   
   >   
   > On Tue, 30 Sep 2025 15:28:34 +1300, David Goodwin wrote:   
   >   
   > > The issue was that [i860] turned out to be not as good as expected, so   
   > > Microsoft built some new hardware using MIPS instead and switched   
   > > development to that.   
   >   
   > Didn?t seem to help, though, did it?   
      
   IIRC the *reason* for the i860 port first, and then the MIPS port, was   
   to ensure that the operating system was developed from the start with   
   portability in mind. Dependencies on the way PCs work couldn't creep in   
   if everything also had to work on some other non-PC platform.   
      
   So the MIPS port achieved its purpose. Once the job was done, Microsoft   
   sold their hardware designs to MIPS Technologies who used it as a basis   
   for a line of workstations until SGI bought the company.   
      
   > The MIPS version of NT didn?t last long, either.   
      
   The MIPS version was never very popular to begin with - today the   
   hardware is flying pigs rare. I assume the only people buying it were   
   those who *needed* Windows and more performance than an x86 could   
   supply, but couldn't afford an Alpha. Probably not a very big market.   
      
   The MIPS NT workstations appear to have disappeared from the market at   
   around the same time the Pentium Pro appeared. I assume at this point   
   x86 was now fast enough and cheaper than MIPS, so there was no reason   
   for anyone to buy the MIPS option anymore. At least some builders of   
   MIPS workstations ended up switching to building Pentium Pro systems -   
   NeTpower announced their switch in February 1996.   
      
   By late 1996 no one was buying Windows NT for MIPS systems anymore, so   
   Microsoft stopped maintaining it.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)