I don't think "ahead of its time" is a good description (or, alternatively, it was so far ahead that its time had not yet arrived). There was one CPU architect

I don't think "ahead of its time" is a good description (or, alternatively, it was so far ahead that its time had not yet arrived). There was one CPU architecture designed since, that I'm aware of, that has OO baked in as well as a stack-machine model (the defining features of the software side of the 432, even if the hardware was perfect). The Java CPUs faired about as well as the 432, which is "not well at all". I think "bad architecture" is a better description than "ahead of its time", which is just as true for the Itanium.