This is definitely a case where hardware surpassed software in that classic “debate”. Intel probably needed to do a reference implementation in Windows/Linux for it to gain teeth though.
Indeed. Sometimes the "build it and they'll come" doesn't work at all.
It Itanium had excellent Linux support on day one it could have been a different story.
To this day I complain loudly IBM has no entry-level desktop/deskside POWER machines that are appealing to people who would buy a generic x86 workstation. If all they have is hardware for current clients to upgrade to, the platform becomes legacy pretty quickly.
I will go as far as saying ARM servers would never have happened were it not for pioneering stuff like the Raspberry Pi and other small hobbyist boards that served as an entry level and proved ARM was viable as a Linux host.
Making a version affordable and available to small time randos would probably have helped as well. Was it even possible to buy a complete system at something other than call-for-pricing pricing?
