Friday, February 26, 1999

• Shipments begin for PCs built around the Intel Pentium III 500 MHz processors. We will ship all PCs with the serial number ID disabled.
• Corsair launches PC133 SDRAM.
• AMD outsells Intel in January
• SuperMarket claims to be the first?

Thursday, February 25, 1999

• This is an excellent peek into the potential direction of USB 2.0, ATA-66, Future ATA, and IEEE 1394.
• Feel like laughing?

An Intel spokesman said, "Today, you feel that your value is in design and the soft items. For Coca Cola it's their secret sauce."

Maybe he meant McDonald's secret sauce (2 all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame bun, or the Colonel's secret spices, or Coca Cola is the real thing. But maybe the Pepsi generation doesn't know these things...

By the way, who added the 'r' sound in Colonel? Since it derived from Columna; columns of soldiers, then how did that dang 'r' get there?

• Windows 2000 flavors (PC World)
• Intel execs admit that the serial ID is giving up privacy but will not backdown

  "The people who are willing to give up their privacy for a free PC are our market," [one Intel executive] said.

• We are doing a quick survey to determine the number of people interested in purchasing the AMD K6-III in the first two weeks of product availability. Please email us if you are seriously considering purchasing this product. Please do not ask us about the price or when it is going to be available. This is only for serious inquiries. Please provide us with your name, preferred means of contacting you when the product is available, motherboard manufacturer, model, and revision. We are not taking orders. We will not contact you until product is available. This is only a way for us to determine the amount of product needed to fill everyone's desires quickly. Don't worry LC and SF - the two of you are the first ones in line
• It seems that almost everyone has wimped out (you do know that whimpy ate all the hamburgers, right?- Al is obsessed with food today) on finding a way to test the ECC function of an SDRAM module. The best that can be done is to test the chips themselves and determine if they are good. This still doesn't address the main question - is ECC actually working?

Wednesday, February 24, 1999

• Intel execs admit that the serial ID is giving up privacy but will not backdown

  "The people who are willing to give up their privacy for a free PC are our market," [one Intel executive] said.

• We are doing a quick survey to determine the number of people interested in purchasing the AMD K6-III in the first two weeks of product availability. Please email us if you are seriously considering purchasing this product. Please do not ask us about the price or when it is going to be available. This is only for serious inquiries. Please provide us with your name, preferred means of contacting you when the product is available, motherboard manufacturer, model, and revision. We are not taking orders. We will not contact you until product is available. This is only a way for us to determine the amount of product needed to fill everyone's desires quickly. Don't worry LC and SF - the two of you are the first ones in line.
• Albert wouldn't get out of bed today. Actually, he wouldn't come out from under the bed. It took Gracie's constant nagging to get him up and moving before he snorted something that sounded obscene. We think he is a bit miffed. Does this mean he is considering more cow tipping? Not even Gracie knows his thoughts.

  We could only get two words from him today, "Self aggrandizement." Or is that one word with a hyphen in between? Beats us, cuz we don't even know what it means. Then we realized what it is that has Albert concerned.

  "If they have found something that's real, we will be talking with them more and we will try to create some kind of patch to prevent the security problem," said Waldrop. "We are concerned about privacy and making the Internet secure. That's why we implemented the security feature." -- PC World

  A security patch for a security feature? Maybe they could use a Band-Aid.

• Epox and AMD K6-III information

  The AMD K6-III voltage is to be set to 2.4V. All versions of the MVP3G-M motherboard should work well with the new processor. MVP3C-M motherboards released after 1.0 should also work with the processor. There is a new BIOS being tested for each board which will enable the Chompers XT features of the K6-III.

• Pentium mmmm information. There are websites reporting the voltage settings for the new Intel processor to be 1.8. Actually, the Vcore is 2.0V.
• Intel sheds more light on Merced

  "Finally, Intel formally disclosed the name of its first 64-bit chip set, the 460GX. It will support a four-way configuration, the forthcoming AGP Pro graphics bus, 64-bit PCI, integrated support for PCI Hot Plug and other Intel server management specifications." -- PC Week

• We have extra ASUS P2B-F, Epox 58MVP3C-M, ASUS P5A-B, and Intel SE440BX-2 motherboards in inventory.
• Intel overclocking?! "Intel takes record with 1GHz chip" news.com

• We are attempting to set up a machine to better test 256 MB ECC memory modules. Many of our clients have emailed different ways to recompile Linux in order to test memory. Please let us know if you have a great way to test the ECC function under Linux. Yes, we'll pass this information on to all of our other visitors.

Tuesday, February 23, 1999

• We have extra AOpen AX6BC, Intel SE440BX2, ASUS P5AB, ASUS P2B-F, Epox 58MVP3C-M motherboards in inventory today. Please call before 1PM Pacific time for same day shipping.
• We reset the shopping cart webserver today. This should solve the 'connection reset by server' errors that people have been receiving.
• Pentium III benchmarks

  "Otellini said that three different software packages showed speed boosts. Naturally Speaking, a speech recognition app, showed a 37 per cent performance boost, Photoshop delivered 64 per cent better performance and Netshow Encoder is 20 per cent faster using the Pentium III, he claimed" -- The Register

• Rambus gets the hiccups
• Compaq halts consumer e-commerce sales

  Now that Compaq has taken the lead, will Intel follow the example? All manufacturers have the same distribution problem; overdistribution. Therefore, lines are being drawn between traditional sales channels and Internet sales and everyone is choosing sides. This probably won't resolve the problem of overdistribution but hopefully it will allow manufacturers to start judging a webcentric company based on services and not just product pricing. After all, not all resellers are alike - or are they?

• We are attempting to set up a machine to better test 256 MB ECC memory modules. Many of our clients have emailed different ways to recompile Linux in order to test memory. Please let us know if you have a great way to test the ECC function under Linux. Yes, we'll pass this information on to all of our other visitors.

Monday, February 22, 1999

• We received email that the Epox page had a problem. We appreciate everyone who sent kind words and reminders to double check the website links. Only one problem. We couldn't recreate that there was a problem. We emptied cache, changed browsers, etc. So, we aren't sure why so many people had problems this weekend. We uploaded a new page so that hopefully it is working for everyone now. Please let us know if you are having trouble with the website.
• AMD K6 III product announcement (AMD)

  AMD-K6-III internal cache includes 64 KB L1 cache and 256 KB full-speed on chip L2 cache.

• AMD links to the AMD K6 III (AMD)
• Intel, AMD set for CPU clash (PC Week)

  We will see the product after the major OEMs receive it.

• ASUS P2B-F motherboards are on heavy allocation at this time. Current orders have been filled. There is a limited supply for shipments.
• Escondido is another iteration of the Celery? Could this be the peanut butter that we want added? Or is it the Calderon, the i742 or the i752. Actually, this article is great because of the link to a Japanese website with great photos as well as mentioning the PC133, 815, and other future possibilities.
• The unspoken de facto standard for PC133 is 7ns SDRAMS on a hot dog stick. Oh, sorry about that. With all of the talk about Celery we were getting hungry. PC133 SDRAMS will be available from Corsair in about 7-10 business days. They are testing them as we type.
• Okay, Okay, Okay, Okay. Is the abbreviation for Streaming SIMD Extensions SSE or SSX? Well, considering the industry used MMX for Multimedia Extensions, then SSX makes some sense. On the other hand, playing devil's advocate:

Albert: Gracie, did you hear about the new mmmm?
Gracie: Yes, Albert. We all have heard about it. You can say Pentium Three.
Albert: No. I cannot because I don't know if it is a P2 with SSE or SSX.
Gracie: Intel says that the new instructions are SIM-D instructions and the streaming instructions are not supposed to be abbreviated. Besides, the instructions are pronounced SIMM-Dee.
Albert: Bully for them. Well, I like ... mmmm si .. as in "Yo quiero Taco Bell" After all, salesmen love to get a "yes" and I love Tacos.
Gracie: Al, you just ignored what was said. Intel doesn't want an abbreviation.
Albert: Then again, SSX might be better; it could be pronounced 'sex'. We all know that sex sells. That would make it really easy to sell the "sexy processor". Can't you hear the salesman, "And over here is the latest PC from ESC, it has a 600 MHz sexy processor, 1 Gigglebyte of PC133 SDRAM, 50 Gigglebyte LVD SCSI hard drive... blah blah blah."
Gracie: (walking away) Al, you didn't hear a word that was said to you !
Albert: Did you say something?

Which reminds us. Some people haven't been visiting our website long enough to know that Gracie is the daughter of Guy Sing Everglo Brandywine. Besides Gracie, two other canine members of Brandy's progeny are well known - Lovely went to the Academy Awards and Wally became a dog champion in the late 80's. Gracie was originally a member of the Intel family. She became a refugee in 1997. As most of you already know, Albert is a mutt. But a dashingly good looking mutt albeit deaf.

• PR on the Internet (The Standard)

• MBO: A disease or a distraction (PC Week)

  BTW: MBO ~ Marketing Buzzword Overload. :-)

Friday, February 19, 1999

• YY chassis are ready to ship today. We have YY-5371; YY-5271; and YY-1271 cases. If you'd like a new board also, then we have AOpen's AX6BC and SE440BX no audio motherboards in inventory too.
• Al and Gracie admit that they watch Thursday night television. In fact, they were watching last night and saw a few Intel commercials.

  Al: Hey, Gracie -- lookey there...it's the new mmmmmmm mmm (TM)
  Gracie: Yes, Al.
  Al: Does this mean it's public now?
  Gracie: Well...maybe...no?

Thursday, February 18, 1999

• We have extra Epox MVP3G-M and 58MVP3C-M motherboards in inventory today.
• According to Intel, they have shipped all of the Celeron processors in SEPP (or SC-242, formerly slot 1) packaging. We are controlling the number of orders for Celeron 400 MHz SEPP that we accept. The Celeron 333 and 366 MHz processors in SEPP are readily available.
• The customer is never right (CNet persepectives)
• Intel Previews mmmm (Techweb)

Now, ESC isn't allowed to show, sell, or advertise the mmmm because we are under NDA. In fact, we just received a fax this morning saying that we are bound to their terms or they will 'terminate' our relationship. This makes perfectly good sense to us.

Albert: Mm mm mmm mmmmm mmmm
Gracie: Al, what on Earth are you doing?
Albert: I'm not allowed to say anything about the mmmm !
Gracie: Good heavens dog. Intel is telling the whole world. They just invited the whole dang press core. What makes you think you can't say anything?
Albert: Good point. Guess they broke the NDA, right?
Gracie: Sure, Al. Spill the beans.
Albert: Mm mm mmm mmmmm mmmm
Gracie: Argh. What's the big deal? Say it!
Albert: Mm mm mmm mmmmm it.

Albert probably thinks that he is being funny. Silly mutt. Regardless of the handcuffs Intel is using, we will patiently wait for February 26, 1999. At that time, we will discuss the mmmm.

• Partner's defend mmmm serial number

  "The Sabre Group demonstrated a prototype application for travel agents that reads the chip serial number in combination with passwords, to determine who's logged into a system, then displays customized fares and travel packages. " - Techweb

Wednesday, February 17, 1999

• Geek sneak peek at Pentium III (CNet News)
• Pentium III preview gets muted greeting (CNet News)
• 1999 not year of Rambus, warns Fujitsu exec (The Register)
• Privacy Groups Threaten to Boycott Intel (Techweb)
• Pentium III chips could hit 1 GHz this year (Techweb)

  Here is a great quote from an Intel representative.

  Intel wouldn't comment on the benchmarks (from Ars Technica). "We've heard this speculation every time we release a new generation, and every time it comes to market and people get to see it and kick the tires, the naysayers tend to quiet down," said Walker.

Tuesday, February 16, 1999

• Last night was Chinese New Years. You should be wearing red to show happiness and prosperity into the new year.
• I can't read yesterday's comments !
  We will be adding the link back to this page in a couple of days. We appreciate everyone letting us know that the links aren't there.
• Big Blue to ship Linux on x86, PowerPC systems
• Privacy battle picks up steam

Monday, February 15, 1998

• President's Day
• A friend of ESC was in a meeting in Delaware last week. Before the meeting started, people were talking about computers, and how to buy a computer with specifications they wanted. A woman attorney mentioned that she and her husband bought a computer from a company in 1996, and that they were able to select items and the system was built for them.

  Our friend listened for a while, then asked where this company is located. The woman said, "Some place in California, not too far from the Bay area." The conversation continued, and it turned out that this couple had purchased their computer from ESC in mid-1996.

  The woman attorney was surprised that our friend actually knew the people who work at ESC. So, here is a little 'hello' to W.L.M., yes, we've known her and her family for many years.

• We have extra Intel SE440BX2 no audio motherboards; AOpen AX6B motherboards; Intel Pentium II 400 MHz Boxed processors; Intel Pentium II 350 MHz Boxed processors in inventory.
• Intel launching Pentium III with a bang (Tech Web)
• Mitsubishi claims 500 MHz SRAM breakthrough (The Register)

Friday, February 12, 1999

• Chinese New Year is being celebrated February 13-18. Factories will be closed for the week. We expect this to place a strain on product inventories.
• No copper for Intel until 0.13 micron and Intel to demo 1 GHz chip by year end (The Register)
• Samsung announces 128-Mbit DDR-SDRAM (Techweb)
• Quote of the week:

  "Initially what was driving the growth of customer service software was management's perception that it is cheaper to do this on the web," said Carter Lusher, an analyst with Gartner. "What's really driving it is customers' need for increased convenience and the increased loyalty this creates."

Thursday, February 11, 1999

• Chinese New Year is being celebrated February 13-18. Factories will be closed for the week. We expect this to place a strain on product inventories.
• Did you miss me Dave?
• X3D specification for building three-dimensional content into Web sites. (Wired)
• Small town ISP fights Asian company for name (San Jose Mercury News)
• 3DNow! versus SSE and SiS to support K7, PIII, and continue supporting S7(The Register)
• Wintel out of sync on Pentium III

  Microsoft's Windows operating systems will not properly recognize Intel's upcoming high-speed Pentium III processor, the companies have confirmed, although the upgrade glitch is not expected to cause any performance problems. -- CNet

• Free PC's, ISPs and Software: Are they worth the price? (ZD Net)
• Chip ID discussions on ZD Net

Wednesday, February 10, 1999

• Amazon will offer refunds

  On Tuesday, the online book and music seller said it would offer refunds on all books it has recommended to customers. The problem, the company said, is that it did not properly identify which recommendations were paid for by advertisers and which were offered by Amazon's team of editors -- Techweb

• The Pentium III's job

  "Privacy and consumer advocates worry that the PSN will also compromise computer users by broadcasting their identity over the Internet. They've called for a boycott of Intel products. And in recent weeks, many computer companies have decided to ship their products with the serial number turned off". -- San Jose Mercury News

• We've arranged this website to load information a little faster. Please let us know if this helps.
• Intel leaks details of Foster, Merced, McKinley and Intel EPIC roadmap attempts to unite IA-32 and PA-RISC

  "Merced is still on target for release in the middle half of next year using 0.18 micron process technology. McKinley will be released in 2001, while Madison, an IA-64 performance part, and Deerfield, an IA-64 price/performance part, follow soon after, using a 0.13 micron process. " -- The Register and Clive Turvey

Tuesday, February 9, 1999

• River flood warnings are being issued for areas north of us.
• UPS has changed their rates. There has been a 2.5% increase. They also changed their website. Determining the correct rate is now a two step process.
• The technical support website updates are progressing slowly. The RMA policy page is now linked in as well as the RMA request and RMA information form. Feedback forms are also being added so that we can see which pages require updating.
• Intel leaks details of Foster, Merced, McKinley and Intel EPIC roadmap attempts to unite IA-32 and PA-RISC

  "Merced is still on target for release in the middle half of next year using 0.18 micron process technology. McKinley will be released in 2001, while Madison, an IA-64 performance part, and Deerfield, an IA-64 price/performance part, follow soon after, using a 0.13 micron process. " -- The Register and Clive Turvey

Monday, February 8, 1999

• Select Totem motherboards arrived for testing today. While the manual isn't completely accurate, the jumperless motherboard has an interesting built in diagnostic feature. We will be testing the boards with Celerons, PII, and that unspeakable processor because of some silly NDA (as if no one knows).
• The AMD K6-III isn't a new name. It's just written with a familiar style.

  Websites are starting to use the AMD K6-III rather than K6-3 designation. This transition started about a week ago. Now we just need the product. Look for volume shipments in May or June. No, really. As always, Tier One companies (eg Compaq and friends) will be given the product first. The distribution channel will have to beg.

  Albert: (Crying) Woof.
  Gracie: Albert, what's wrong?
  Albert: (sniff) They didn't name it Phil.

• Disk-drive makers are on the rebound (Techweb)
• Intel Cranks Up the Clocks

"Intel will drive speeds of the high-end server processor to 800-MHz by the middle of next year, "

According to sources close to Intel, speeds for the Pentium III desktop chip will increase from 450 MHz and 500 MHz at launch on February 26 to 733 MHz with a 133-MHz front-side bus by mid-2000 -- PC World

• The Ballad Of The Y2K

(sing to the tune of "Gilligan's Island")

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale
Of the doom that is our fate.
That started when programmers used
Two digits for a date
Two digits for a date

RAM memory was smaller then;
Hard drives were tiny, too.
"Four digits are extravagent,
So let's get by with two.
So let's get by with two."

"This works through 1999,"
The programmers did say.
"Unless we write new code by then
The data goes away.
The data goes away."

But management had not a clue;
"It works fine now, you bet!
Rewriting code cost money,
We won't do it just yet.
We won't do it just yet."

Now when 2000 rolls around
It all goes straight to hell,
For zero less then ninety-nine,
As anyone can tell.
As anyone can tell.

The mail won't bring your pension check;
It won't be sent to you
When you're no longer sixty-eight
But minus thirty-two.
But minus thirty-two.

The problems we're about to face
Are frightening, for sure.
And reading every line of code's
The only certain cure.
The only certain cure.

[[ key change, the big finish coming]]

There's not much time,
there's too much code,
And COBOL-coders, few.
When the century is finished,
We may be finished, too.

---------- Thanks to Colleen Cameron and joke of the day.

• Intel fuels the fire with Celeron cuts

"Prices will fall about $10 on the cheapest Celeron chips and more on higher end versions, according to industry sources familiar with the price cuts today. Pentium II prices are slated to be cut on February 28 when the Pentium III arrives, Intel has said. " -- CNet News.com

• AMD cuts to match Intel (News.com)

Friday, February 5, 1999 and Weekend

• Will we ever get a processor named 'Phil' or is it the name going to be AMD K6-3, K6-III, or maybe something else?

Albert:   (sitting with front paws connected) Phil, Phil, Phil.
Gracie:  Al, who are you calling?
Albert:  Shush.  I'm chanting.  By focusing all of my energies on the name 'Phil' I'm hoping that Jerry Sanders will name the Sharptooth project 'Phil'.
Gracie:  Oh, that again.  When will you ever learn?
Albert:  Hey now.  Phil is a good name!  Phil-osophy.  Phil-anthropy.   Phil-er-up.
Gracie:  Golly Al.  I've had my Phil of this subject.  Good night.
Albert:  (sitting) I'll never give up.  Ommmmmmm.

• VIA puts weight behind PC133 (The Register)
• VIA Apollo Pro Plus

"The VIA Apollo Pro Plus is a high performance chipset for Slot 1/Socket 370 mobile and desktop PC systems" -- VIA

• Question of the day.  Are you going to offer the AOpen AX63?

As everyone knows by now, we are selective in the products that we offer.  Because we have not received our sample of the motherboard, we cannot determine the health of the board or the market interests.  We look forward to testing the board but will only consider offering it if there is a large interest and the board holds up during testing.

Presently, the ASUS P2B-F was just added to our product line.   We have managed to install Win98, NT 4.0, NT 5.0 beta 2 (oops, we mean Windows 2000) and the Y2000 tests.  We have added installing SCSI devices to our testing procedures.  This change was made after the ABIT BH6 problems our clients were experiencing.  Testing generally takes us 5-7 business days.

Motherboards from Totem are next in line for testing.  They are to arrive from Taiwan on Monday or Tuesday.   There are items we cannot discuss (for obvious legal reasons we can't disclose the processor to you - but you all know how to count 1...2..."" 4...5...6).   Generic memory (oh, that again) is still under consideration.  We just need to find a decent company to supply good product.  We find it ironic that we started on the Internet by offering low cost generic memory.

As always, if have any ideas, then please let us know.

• You might have noticed a few changes finally happening on the technical support website.  Yes, it's about time.  We have started to blend this site into the shopping site.   Navigation on our webpresence is still a nightmare if you start in the wrong place.   Hopefully we can help with some of these changes.  The biggest complaint is from people who enter from a link outside of our website (eg. search engines).  They do not see prices.  Instead they see "HTML tags."  We'll have to figure out a refresh tag that might help solve this problem and not slow everyone else down...

The second complaint is the lack of technical support updates.   While we are fixing navigation issues and outdated and changed links, we will be adding select information and links to other sites with information.  The ftp site is outlined and now the files need to be added.  If there is something that you need, then please let us know and we will try to add it quickly.

• For those of you who are constantly asking us, "What type of editor(s) do you use?"  The main editor is FrontPage 98, backed up by Dreamweaver 2, and good ole TextPad 32.  None of these are very satisfying since they all tend to change code.  We've played with cold fusion tags, but have kept most of this behind the scenes.  After watching some other sites, we've decided that adding databases might seem like a nice idea, but our sites are not ready for a quick transition.   We simply have too many visitors for MS Access databases and do not want to invest in MS SQL 7.
• Processor availability update:

Thursday, February 4, 1999

• Intel to step up release of the 433 MHz Celeron

"A 466 MHz Celeron is expected to follow later in the first half." -- PC Week

• Access to our technical support site may be delayed because of maintenance. 
• If I want to use a Celeron PPGA, what motherboards can I use?

  Abit, ASUS, and Intel have boards that are available for Celeron processors in PPGA packaging and motherboards.  Most of these boards have audio onboard, and some have video also.

• Does ESC have NLX cases?

  We can special order YY NLX chassis as well as Procase NLX chassis.  YY's come in white or black.

• Processor availability update:

Wednesday, February 3, 1999

• Question of the day.  What is the difference between revision 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 of the Epox MVP3G-M motherboard?

According to Epox USA, the revisions do not represent a hardware design change.  Instead they represent a date change in PCB.

• Intel To Launch Pentium III Feb. 26

"Intel will launch its Pentium III processor Feb. 26 and two days later open "the blue door" in its promotions for the new chip." -- CRN

• Microsoft confirms that Windows 9x kernel will live

"Customers can expect the product to ship sometime after the first Windows 98 Service Release, which is currently in beta test and expected to be available from OEMs preloaded on new systems around mid-year." -- PC Week

• Install a Faster Processor

"Our rule of thumb: A gain of less than, say, 100 MHz in processing speed generally doesn't repay the investment." -- PC World

• FTC expands Intel case (San Jose Mercury News)
• Processor availability update:

Tuesday, February 2, 1999

• Early Pentium III sales irk Intel

"Intel's legal department is looking into ways of stopping sales of Pentium III processors in advance of the chip's official release, but isn't likely to do much about the irksome practice."  -- CNet

Albert:  It's not me!  I didn't do it.  I wasn't there.
Gracie:  Al, relax.  Intel has a 'guideline' not a policy.
Albert:  huh?  What's the diff?
Gracie:  Guidelines are not procedures or policies.  They are points of reference.
Albert:  But what about the contract?
Gracie:  Intel broke the contract by allowing authorized distributors to sell directly to the consumer. 
Albert: But Intel is saying this product is "Gray Market."
Gracie:  Gray, Blue, Yellow, Red.  It's all from Intel.  And Intel has done this to themselves.  They've been offering the product out their own back door.   Intel has invited early sales of their processors in order to create demand.
Albert:  Oh - you mean their back door swings both ways.
Gracie:  Yes, Intel likes to sell processors.  After all, that is their business plan.
Albert:  What a relief!  Thought they were going to actually do something this time.
Gracie:  Nope.  It'll never happen.  Intel loves the publicity too much -- They are true publicity hounds.  Besides, in order for them to 'do something' they'd have to start with their own 'guidelines'... duh.
Albert:  Grace, where's my food bowl?
Gracie:  You are sitting on it.

• We missed this article on the Pentium III.    We thank everyone who directed us to it. Shame on us!   You should read the article because it discusses the shift of the Pentium III manufacturing to 0.18 micron.  It also happens to be well written.  And while we are linking back to 'old news stories' -- you might find other people's opinions on the P3 interesting.  Maybe.  Maybe not.
• Some of our friends thought the links to a photo of the Intel's Pentium III and AMD's K7 might be interesting. Courtesy of The Register and Chiptech.
• PC World's article on some of the 70 SIMD instructions for the Pentium III and another one on the Celeron 433 MHz processor.
• Processor availability update:

Monday, February 1, 1999

• More Pentium III stories are appearing.  The topics range from Privacy Groups to availability.
• Yes, the Pentium III is available in tray processors.  When will ESC ship the new processors?  We're still talking about it.  Why?

Reasons ESC should delay shipping the new Pentium III 500 MHz:

1. The product is through 'unsupported' markets.  The warranty from our supplier would be for only 3 days or 10 feet, which ever comes first.  Intel won't support the product before or after the release date, because it is a tray, early release processor.
2. The product serial number detection is turned on by default.   Presently, we have no means to turn it off.
3. There is a 17 Amp requirement for the motherboards to support the product.  The technical support issues such as upgrades, eg. thermals, supported fans, software glitches.
4. Expanding number 3.  There is a microcode update utility which must be run for each processor.  We do not have this code for the Pentium III.   Hopefully, a BIOS upgrade from the manufacturer would take care of this issue.

Reasons ESC should ship Pentium III 500 MHz now:

1. The newer processors operate at 500 MHz and costs approximately $800.00.  The value in increased performance is worth considering.
2. The product has a high probability of being successful in certain markets.  Positioning is important, e.g., speed of releasing systems to end-users, latest technology, highest profits in life of the processor.
3. Finally, the quantity available is extremely small.  There were two available on Friday and another shipment arrives today.
4. We can offer the tray processors that are available now, and you can decide whether or not you're interested in purchasing it without any support.

Well, what do you think?   Ship or wait to ship until Boxed product is available?

• Scott McNealy's quote in the article , "Computer titans see e-commerce promises" is worth repeating.
  

  ``I have a hard time with the concept of a virtual corporation because it might lead to virtual profits,'' McNealy said.

• article
• Processor availability update: