🚀 go-pugleaf

Actually, I was disappointed to read that the Alpha is never going to support
true 64 bit addressing.  Depending on the page size the most you can expect
is 55 bits.
Why does this make a difference?  I for one, was excited about the possibility
of building an in-RAM relational database.  I had been doing some calculations
on the subject and some design studies for a sharable multiport RAM which 
would hold the database.  Like a solid state disk, it would be fast, with 
average access times of on the order of microseconds.  Unlike a solid state
disk, which looks like a disk drive, this gizmo could be accessed without
intervention (or with minimal intervention) from the OS.
For another, I was intrigued with the idea of building a minimal microprocessor
system using the address lines in lieu of address decoding for chip select logic.
Several people have pointed out that anybody interested in building something
around an Alpha obviously isn't building a minimal microprocessor.

Jeff Silverman, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.