<s>
The	O
Advanced	B-Device
Computing	I-Device
Environment	I-Device
(	O
ACE	O
)	O
was	O
defined	O
by	O
an	O
industry	O
consortium	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
next	O
generation	O
commodity	O
computing	O
platform	O
,	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
personal	B-Device
computers	I-Device
based	O
on	O
Intel	O
's	O
32-bit	B-Operating_System
instruction	I-Operating_System
set	I-Operating_System
architecture	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
consortium	O
's	O
definition	O
of	O
the	O
Advanced	B-Device
RISC	I-Device
Computing	I-Device
(	O
ARC	B-Device
)	O
specification	O
,	O
indicating	O
the	O
details	O
of	O
an	O
"	O
open	O
and	O
scalable	O
"	O
hardware	B-Architecture
platform	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
MIPS	B-Device
architecture	I-Device
,	O
was	O
a	O
significant	O
focus	O
of	O
the	O
initiative	O
,	O
the	O
"	O
key	O
force	O
"	O
behind	O
it	O
was	O
said	O
to	O
be	O
Compaq	O
recognising	O
that	O
it	O
needed	O
to	O
pursue	O
a	O
strategy	O
with	O
MIPS	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
compete	O
in	O
the	O
emerging	O
personal	B-Device
workstation	I-Device
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
week	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
ACE	O
announcement	O
,	O
Compaq	O
had	O
entered	O
into	O
a	O
relationship	O
with	O
Silicon	O
Graphics	O
Inc	O
.	O
(	O
SGI	O
)	O
involving	O
an	O
investment	O
in	O
SGI	O
,	O
the	O
payment	O
of	O
advance	O
royalties	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
strategy	O
to	O
co-develop	O
low-cost	O
workstation	B-Device
systems	O
targeting	O
a	O
price	O
range	O
of	O
"	O
about	O
$	O
8,000	O
or	O
$	O
7,000	O
for	O
a	O
really	O
usable	O
system	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
it	O
was	O
widely	O
believed	O
that	O
RISC-based	O
systems	O
would	O
maintain	O
a	O
price/performance	O
advantage	O
over	O
the	O
ad	O
hoc	O
Wintel	B-Device
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
also	O
widely	O
believed	O
that	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
would	O
quickly	O
displace	O
many	O
other	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
through	O
the	O
combined	O
effects	O
of	O
a	O
wide	O
selection	O
of	O
software	O
and	O
the	O
ease	O
of	O
building	O
Wintel	B-Device
machines	O
that	O
supported	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ACE	O
was	O
formed	O
to	O
provide	O
an	O
alternative	O
platform	O
to	O
Wintel	B-Device
,	O
providing	O
a	O
viable	O
alternative	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
advantages	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
software	O
support	O
,	O
and	O
greater	O
advantages	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
environment	O
standardized	O
on	O
two	O
hardware	B-Architecture
platforms	O
:	O
a	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
platform	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Intel	O
80386	O
and	O
80486	B-General_Concept
processors	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
workstation	B-Device
platform	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
ARC	B-Device
specification	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
be	O
supported	O
by	O
both	O
hardware	B-Architecture
platforms	O
were	O
two	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
:	O
SCO	B-Operating_System
UNIX	I-Operating_System
with	O
Open	O
Desktop	O
and	O
what	O
would	O
become	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
(	O
originally	O
named	O
OS/2	O
3.0	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DEC	O
used	O
the	O
initiative	O
as	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
take	O
market	O
share	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
workstation	B-Device
leader	O
,	O
Sun	O
Microsystems	O
,	O
to	O
respond	O
to	O
gains	O
by	O
Hewlett-Packard	O
and	O
IBM	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
proliferate	O
its	O
own	O
technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compaq	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
SCO	O
were	O
perceived	O
to	O
be	O
using	O
it	O
as	O
a	O
defensive	O
strategy	O
to	O
prevent	O
"	O
Sun	O
taking	O
over	O
the	O
desktop	O
and	O
replacing	O
Intel-architecture	O
PCs	B-Device
with	O
RISC	O
,	O
Unix	O
SparcStations	O
"	O
with	O
the	O
consequent	O
loss	O
of	O
opportunities	O
for	O
those	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
joining	O
the	O
initiative	O
,	O
SCO	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
broaden	O
its	O
portfolio	O
to	O
RISC	O
platforms	O
alongside	O
its	O
existing	O
Intel	O
platform	O
products	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
needed	O
vendor	O
support	O
for	O
its	O
"	O
Portable	O
OS/2	O
"	O
,	O
later	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
strategy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
that	O
early	O
stage	O
,	O
a	O
different	O
group	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Gibraltar	O
group	O
,	O
consisting	O
primarily	O
of	O
DEC	O
and	O
SCO	O
,	O
sought	O
to	O
define	O
interoperability	O
with	O
DEC	O
's	O
Ultrix	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
concerns	O
persisted	O
about	O
the	O
domination	O
of	O
the	O
initiative	O
by	O
the	O
founding	O
members	O
,	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
SVR4	O
complicated	O
the	O
position	O
of	O
DEC	O
and	O
SCO	O
whose	O
involvement	O
focused	O
on	O
SCO	B-Operating_System
Open	I-Operating_System
Desktop	I-Operating_System
built	O
on	O
the	O
OSF/1	O
kernel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
so	O
,	O
the	O
ACE	O
initiative	O
(	O
and	O
consortium	O
)	O
began	O
to	O
fall	O
apart	O
little	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
year	O
after	O
it	O
started	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
became	O
apparent	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
mass	O
market	O
for	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
the	O
Wintel	B-Device
computing	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
initiative	O
started	O
,	O
RISC	O
based	O
systems	O
(	O
running	O
at	O
100-200	O
MHz	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
)	O
had	O
substantial	O
performance	O
advantages	O
over	O
Intel	B-General_Concept
80486	I-General_Concept
chips	O
(	O
running	O
at	O
approximately	O
60	O
MHz	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
Pentium	B-General_Concept
promised	O
to	O
reduce	O
such	O
advantages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
factors	O
included	O
Compaq	O
's	O
ongoing	O
restructuring	O
amidst	O
disappointing	O
financial	O
results	O
,	O
the	O
accelerated	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
Pentium	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
increasing	O
availability	O
of	O
Unix	O
software	O
for	O
the	O
Intel	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DEC	O
had	O
released	O
their	O
Alpha	B-Device
processor	I-Device
and	O
were	O
less	O
interested	O
in	O
promoting	O
a	O
competing	O
architecture	O
,	O
indicating	O
continued	O
low-end	O
support	O
for	O
MIPS	O
,	O
but	O
exhibiting	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
commitment	O
to	O
future	O
products	O
,	O
notably	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
the	O
MIPS	O
R4000	O
line	O
of	O
processors	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
OSF/1	O
on	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
DECstation	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meanwhile	O
,	O
the	O
accelerated	O
delivery	O
and	O
anticipated	O
performance	O
improvements	O
of	O
Intel	O
's	O
upcoming	O
Pentium	B-General_Concept
processor	O
,	O
combined	O
with	O
more	O
competitive	O
pricing	O
,	O
made	O
the	O
"	O
20	O
to	O
30	O
percent	O
premium	O
"	O
of	O
MIPS-based	O
systems	O
less	O
attractive	O
to	O
vendors	O
such	O
as	O
Compaq	O
and	O
their	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
ACE	O
originally	O
supported	O
the	O
x86	B-Operating_System
architecture	I-Operating_System
,	O
customers	O
were	O
reportedly	O
confused	O
by	O
an	O
incoherent	O
message	O
around	O
the	O
different	O
hardware	B-Architecture
and	O
software	O
options	O
encompassed	O
by	O
the	O
initiative	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
an	O
increased	O
emphasis	O
on	O
the	O
MIPS	B-Device
architecture	I-Device
"	O
as	O
an	O
informal	O
recognition	O
of	O
what	O
the	O
organization	O
has	O
really	O
been	O
doing	O
all	O
along	O
"	O
was	O
envisaged	O
,	O
focusing	O
more	O
on	O
ARC	B-Device
as	O
a	O
way	O
of	O
delivering	O
MIPS-based	O
hardware	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
1992	O
,	O
the	O
ACE	O
Executive	O
Advisory	O
Board	O
refocused	O
the	O
initiative	O
on	O
systems	O
software	O
availability	O
for	O
the	O
ARC	B-Device
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intel	O
's	O
response	O
was	O
to	O
accelerate	O
the	O
delivery	O
of	O
the	O
Pentium	B-General_Concept
and	O
to	O
pursue	O
parallel	O
development	O
of	O
three	O
generations	O
of	O
future	O
products	O
(	O
P5	B-General_Concept
,	O
P6	B-Device
and	O
P7	O
)	O
,	O
thus	O
providing	O
a	O
roadmap	O
that	O
could	O
dissuade	O
its	O
customers	O
from	O
adopting	O
RISC	O
architectures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
product	O
of	O
the	O
ACE	O
group	O
is	O
the	O
Advanced	B-Device
RISC	I-Device
Computing	I-Device
specification	O
,	O
or	O
ARC	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
initially	O
based	O
on	O
MIPS-based	O
computer	B-Architecture
hardware	I-Architecture
and	O
firmware	B-Application
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
ACE	O
went	O
defunct	O
,	O
and	O
no	O
computer	O
was	O
ever	O
manufactured	O
which	O
fully	O
complied	O
with	O
the	O
ARC	B-Device
standard	O
,	O
the	O
ARC	B-Device
system	O
still	O
exerts	O
a	O
widespread	O
legacy	O
in	O
that	O
all	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
NT-based	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
(	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
)	O
used	O
ARC	B-Device
conventions	O
for	O
naming	O
boot	B-Operating_System
devices	O
before	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
SGI	O
used	O
a	O
modified	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
ARC	B-Device
firmware	B-Application
(	O
which	O
it	O
called	O
ARCS	B-Device
)	O
in	O
its	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
SGI	O
computers	O
which	O
run	O
IRIX	B-Operating_System
6.1	O
or	O
later	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Indy	B-Operating_System
,	O
Octane	B-Device
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
boot	B-Operating_System
from	O
an	O
ARCS	B-Device
console	O
(	O
which	O
uses	O
the	O
same	O
drive	O
naming	O
conventions	O
as	O
Windows	O
,	O
accordingly	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
various	O
RISC-based	O
computers	O
designed	O
to	O
run	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
used	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
ARC	B-Device
boot	B-Operating_System
console	O
to	O
boot	B-Operating_System
NT	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
most	O
Windows	O
NT-capable	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
computers	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
RS/6000	I-Device
40P	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
predicted	O
that	O
Intel	O
IA-32-based	O
computers	O
would	O
adopt	O
the	O
ARC	B-Device
console	O
,	O
although	O
only	O
SGI	O
ever	O
marketed	O
such	O
IA-32-based	O
machines	O
with	O
ARC	B-Device
firmware	B-Application
(	O
namely	O
,	O
the	O
SGI	B-Device
Visual	I-Device
Workstation	I-Device
series	O
,	O
which	O
went	O
on	O
sale	O
in	O
1999	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Products	O
complying	O
(	O
to	O
some	O
degree	O
)	O
with	O
the	O
ARC	B-Device
standard	O
include	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
SGI	B-Application
Indigo²	I-Application
,	O
Indy	B-Operating_System
,	O
Challenge	O
,	O
Onyx	O
,	O
Origin	O
etc	O
.	O
</s>
