Although Compaq Computer Corp is clearly hedging its bets by including Micro Channel patents in its cross-licence agreement with IBM (CI No 1,220), the company insists that the agreement does not alter its product direction, and is not developing, nor does it have any plans to develop, machines built around the Micro Channel bus: it does of course plan to design boxes around the Extended Industry Standard Architecture bus, and most of the companies in the EISA gang hope to show something at Comdex/Fall.
