1.   Alpha machines are marketed to users who needs lot of computing power, such as those involved in video editing, animation and computer-aided design.

2.   As a result, Alpha machines have been consigned to specialized segments of the computer market.

3.   But future Alpha machines will run only non-Microsoft operating systems.

4.   For the last year or so, however, Digital has offered a translator that enables Alpha machines to run software written for Intel-based computers.