Compaq abandons Win2000 Alpha project

Compaq Computer is giving up its attempt to get the Windows 2000 operating system to run effectively on the 64-bit Alpha chip.

The hardware giant had 100 people working on the project, and some jobs are likely to go.

Windows 2000 is a 32-bit operating system and is not currently compatible with Alpha unless a 'translation' program is used. However, this extra complexity takes away the performance advantage 64-bit platforms have over their 32-bit cousins.

But a spokesman for Compaq said the company will continue to work with Microsoft to develop a 64-bit version of Windows NT, which could eventually replace Windows 2000. The company declined to elaborate further, although an announcement is expected later today.

Enrico Pesatori, head of Compaq's enterprise solutions and services group, issued a memo last week which read: "After analysing the needs of our customers and the reality of the marketplace, we have decided to end systems development for 32-bit Windows NT on Alpha... we will support 32-bit Windows NT on Alpha for as long as [our existing customers] require and offer migration paths to other Compaq platforms."

Andy Mulholland, technical markets director at Cap Gemini, said: "Alpha is great technology looking for a problem to solve. Historically people would design chips and software developers would pick up on them and start developing software to run on them. But the situation now is that software and chip designers work together."

He added that it was increasingly difficult to see a future for such proprietary chips.

Dr Simon Moores, chairman of the Windows NT users group, said: "It is very hard to compete against Intel. But as a shareholder in Compaq, albeit a small one, I want to see them move into the services arena like HP and IBM - at the moment they are just box-shifting with little exciting technology."