Intel has told its distributors and dealers that there is limited availability on some of its range of server and desktop microprocessors. The parts affected are the 500MHz Pentium III, but the famine is at its worst on the soon-to-be killed Pentium II family. There are shortages on both the 400MHz SECC2 and the 400MHz SECC chips, as well as the 350MHz Pentium II, which we have reported earlier. Intel told its customers about the shortages at the end of last week. In reality, this is part of a cunning Intel marchitectural plan to pull the plug on the old lamps as it introduces faster and initially far more expensive new lamps. The Pentium II is just about dead. That can be gleaned from further information provided to Intel customers on products it is discontinuing. Those are the Pentium II/333, the 300, the 450 Xeons, the 400 Xeons, and a long list of defunct Celerons including the 333, the 300A, the 300 and the 266. Intel's move to the Pentium III is one of the fastest shifts the company has made in its brief history. ®