REDMOND, WA. Remember back in the early 1990s when Apple and IBM
had big plans to offer several different operating systems for
the PowerPC? The goal was to offer the next generation Mac OS, OS/2,
AI/X, and Windows on the new hardware platform.
If our mole is correct, Microsoft will announce Windows PPC
in an effort to trump Apple, increase market domination, and spread
more FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) than ever before.
Unlike Mac OS X, which Apple only officially supports on G3- and
G4-based models, Windows PPC will run on any Power Mac meeting
the following requirements:
180 MHz 603e, 132 MHz 604, or faster
192 MB RAM
6 GB available hard drive space
a CD-ROM drive for installation
In a brilliant marketing move, Windows PPC will include a
customized version of VirtualPC, making it virtually 100%
compatible with the existing base of Windows software.
Our source, who has not seen WinPPC itself but has seen proof
sheets of sales literature, says the new OS will be the most
stable version of Windows ever, since it will be based on a
Unix kernel secretly licensed from Compaq (who got it from
Digital some years back). WinPPC will always boot into Windows, but
will allow Windows Me, Windows XP, classic Mac OS, and Unix sessions
to run on top of the Unix kernel.
The move is sure to annoy Steve Jobs, since the new OS will
support a broader range of Power Macs than OS X. It's also sure
to frustrate Linus Torvalds and the Linux community, since
this could become the dominant form of Unix on PowerPC hardware.
Worse yet, another source at Microsoft tells us there is a secret
off-site cadre of programmers developing 64-bit Windows on the
same Unix kernel as WinPPC. On top of that, they're going out of
their way to make sure it will be an easy port to today's Pentium and
Athlon hardware.
End result: An even bigger monopoly.
Tune in next Wednesday and see if we aren't right. ;-)
Nobody anywhere could be reached for comment on this idle
speculation, not even the janitor who empties Bill Gates' trash, er,
recycle bin.
- Anne Onymus
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