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From: Michael S <already5chosen@yahoo.com>
Newsgroups: comp.arch,alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Why VAX Was the Ultimate CISC and Not RISC
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2026 21:16:41 +0200
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On Tue, 27 Oct 2026 18:50:58 -0000 (UTC)
cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) wrote:

> In article <20261027201539.00001cb0@yahoo.com>,
> Michael S  <already5chosen@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >On Tue, 27 Oct 2026 18:05:10 -0000 (UTC)
> >cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) wrote:
> > =20
> >> In article <m2mrrzxdmf.fsf@Mac.lan>, Roman Belenov
> >> <no@spam.please> wrote: =20
> >> >Lawrence D=C3=83=C2=A2=C3=A2=E2=80=9A=C2=AC=C3=A2=E2=80=9E=C2=A2Olive=
iro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
> >> > =20
> >> >> All part of the original plan, didn=C3=83=C2=A2=C3=A2=E2=80=9A=C2=
=AC=C3=A2=E2=80=9E=C2=A2t you know? NT was
> >> >> designed at the beginning to be a portable OS, able to run on a
> >> >> range of architectures -- development actually started, not on
> >> >> x86, but on MIPS. =20
> >> >
> >> >Wasn't it i860? =20
> >>
> >> Yes.  i860 was the first architecture to boot NT.
> >>
> >> 	- Dan C.
> >> =20
> >
> >Wikipedia claims that the first architecture to boot NT was i860
> >emulator. They don't say what was the hardware host of the emulator.
> >The first boot on bare metal most likely happened on MIPS R3000. =20
>=20
> Believe what you want, but I have this first-hand from an
> engineer who was there.
>=20
> 	- Dan C.
>=20


Looked further and found this:
https://x.com/davepl1968/status/2103977673425047588

Sounds like Wikipedia story is not complete.
The complete story was:
1. First boot - i860 emulator running on i386 under OS/2
2. First boot on bare metal - i860 XR. Unsatisfactory performance.
3. Boot on MIPS 3 months thereafter.