HP, Merced, and essential facilities

["Etchison, Michael" <etchison@puc.texas.gov>]

>HP To Throw Support At Merced
By Charles Babcock
	Hewlett-Packard Co. is upping the ante in its competition with Sun 
Microsystems Inc. by pouring resources into producing a high- performance 
environment for the execution of Java applications that is based on Intel 
Corp.'s next-generation microprocessor, known as Merced.
	HP is producing its own Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and Java compilers 
for the upcoming Merced chip, due from Intel late next year. And, because 
HP (www.hp.com) is a co-designer of Merced, HP is in a position to use 
its knowledge of the chip's design and instruction set to write compilers 
that make Java run faster than when other companies' compilers are used.<
[http://www.zdnet.com/intweek/print/980420/308911.html]
1.  If this differs from the Intergraph/Intel situation, how?
2.  Where does it end?  How essential to what (size/composition) market?
Michael E. Etchison
etchison@puc.texas.gov
[opinions mine, not the PUCT's]