Stratus Computer Inc, one of the first companies to join the 88open club of backers of Motorola Inc’s 88000 RISC microprocessor has jumped RISCs in mid-stream. The Marlborough, Massachusetts manufacturer of fault-tolerant supermicros announced yesterday that it plans to develop a family of very high-performance systems based on the new Intel 80860 RISC microprocessor. The planned systems will not be ready until the early 1990s, and Stratus says that in the meantime it is working on several high- and low-end XA2000s using the Motorola 68030 to cover the interim until the 80860 box is ready – but makes no mention of the 88000. It says that the new 80860-based systems will also be fully compatible with its present product line by virtue of a new compiler technology that enable allow its own VOS operating system, as well as all customer’s applications software, to be compiled and run on the planned i860-based systems, and to take full advantage of the power of the Intel i860. The company is also developing a version of Unix System V operating system for the new RISC-based systems: Stratus’ fault tolerant Unix development effort is in a joint venture with Olivetti & Co SpA, and the Italian, which markets Stratus machines in Europe, has also committed to the new Intel chip but Stratus says that there is no direct connection. It says it decided to drop the 88000 for the 80860 because it believes there will be more software support for the Intel than the Motorola chip.
