Re: The disturbing myth of Eiffel portability

[dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)]

Larry said

"Well the VAX is that age ("nearly 20"), the Alpha supports both VAX
and IEEE formats.  Certainly System/390 is that age, if you allow for
the fact that it includes System/360 capabilities.  I know nothing
about System/360 floating point, but I know MVS has a strong tradition
of supporting the installed base.  Perhaps someone from OC Systems can
comment on support of IEEE by IBM."

OK, but here are only two examples, which kind of proves my point. Of these,
no one would choose a System/390 for high end floating-point work (or
let's say, no one interested in optimal price performance), and the Alpha
is an IEEE machine (yes, it supports the old inferior Vax formats for
consistency, but I would still regard it as an IEEE machine).

So, only 2 examples (actually there are others, notably the Unisys, and
the 1750-A, but still non-IEEE machines are a nearly extinct breed, and
I suspect that Java will be another significant nail in the coffin!