RE:<It has said that Merced (P7) will not be tuned to Windows>. This will hurt Microsoft, but the P7 will hurt Intel even more. Here'w how:
The P7 will support x86 code in hardware using some kind of 'mode' bit. (This is the real reason for the DEC/Intel lawsuit. DEC hopes to find out in discovery phase that Intel is infringing on their hardware emulation patents developed during development of the VAX.) To me, this is a waste of silicon and will doom the Merced to oblivion. The x86 mode will be slower than the PA-RISC mode, therefore, application developers and Microsoft Windows NT 5.0 will run mostly, if not entirely, in the PA-RISC mode. Now, if Microsoft has a PA-RISC version of NT 5.0 and a pure x86 version, do you think its that difficult to come out with a DEC Alhpa version and a SPARC version, etc. IT ISN'T. Only the microkernal changes. With various flavors of OS'es for various processors proliferating, the tools will be available to build your software for anybody's hardware.
That will hurt Intel. The only way they can turn their fab expertise into the fastest MIPS per square mm of silicon is if they abandon x86 altogether. The Merced silicon to do x86 is a total waste. By time the 500 MHz Merced is a reality, Alpha will be running at a gigahertz. BTW, I'd love to see someone really try the VLIW (very long instruction word) architecture.
App developers are getting smart, too. They're developing for using JAVA and/or WIN32 API. If two OS's use the same API, its simple to recompile to use either OS. The world is ripe for another OS that uses a non-proprietary API and that will be Microsoft's downfall.
Petz |
