I suspect part of it is just the desire for something different. I browse eBay and still get the irrational urge to buy unusual hardware, even though my Sparcst

I suspect part of it is just the desire for something different. I browse eBay and still get the irrational urge to buy unusual hardware, even though my Sparcstations and Alpha have proven time and time again that the novelty dies away quickly. Another part is the desire for a fresh start. x86 carries a lot of baggage. There's this idea that a new CPU architecture would somehow stop holding us back. Problem with that idea is that for the most part, x86 doesn't hold us back. Then of course there's the remnants of the old RISC vs CISC debate that never quite died away. People will always be fascinated by the what-ifs and if-onlys - "if only Sun had survived to the cloud era" is my personal favorite. It's harmless fun.