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Right, Windows NT was shipped on PowerPC, MIPS and Alpha up until 1999; Then MS shipped Windows Server on IA64 Itanium from around that time right up to 2010, a
by jameshart 3y ago
Right, Windows NT was shipped on PowerPC, MIPS and Alpha up until 1999; Then MS shipped Windows Server on IA64 Itanium from around that time right up to 2010, alongside the x64 version - including shipping IA64 versions of .NET, SQL Server, etc. And they began shipping Windows on ARM with WindowsRT in 2011.
I actually don't think there has been any significant period where Microsoft was only shipping core Windows operating systems on only x86. It's possible that's actually a deliberate strategy.
But to your point, what they have never been able to do was persuade any significant part of the ecosystem to notice.
- jwells89 3y agoThere was also a PowerPC build of Windows XP, which was preloaded on Xbox 360 dev kits (which were ironically PowerMac G5 towers configured to roughly match 360 hardware).
- hulitu 3y ago> Right, Windows NT was shipped on PowerPC, MIPS and Alpha up until 1999 Were there any compilers for those architectures from Microsoft ?
- rsaxvc 3y agoYep, you could get visual studio processor packs in the mail. At least for ppc and mips.
- maximilianburke 3y agoYes. How else would they build their OS and applications?
- jkestner 3y agoIt’s a lot easier to make the devs move when you control the hardware too.