Re: Apple, Jobs, and the irony of it

[supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer)]

"Charlie" <charlied@NOSPAMbboard.com> wrote:

>"Supertimer" <supertimer@aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Eric Smith <eric-no-spam-for-me@brouhaha.com> wrote:
>>
>> >supertimer@aol.com (Supertimer) writes:
>> >> Also, the claim that the G5 is the first PC
>> >> 64-bit processor is also wrong.  That title
>> >> belongs to AMD's Opteron chip which was
>> >> released in April, several months ahead of
>> >> the G5.
>> >
>> >No, the 21066 "Low Cost Alpha" (LCA45) chip was the first 64-bit
>> >processor specifically designed for use in PCs, such as the DEC Multia,
>> >and was released in 1992 if memory serves, eleven years before the AMD
>> >Opteron and IBM G5.  It was based on the 21064 design (the first
>> >released Alpha chip) with an added memory controller.  The memory
>> >controller had fairly poor performance, though.
>>
>> My mistake.
>>
>> I should have stated the first mainstream 64-bit
>> processor as in a 64-bit processor that can run
>> a mainstream OS natively.  The current
>> mainstream operating system platforms are
>> mainly MacOS and Windows.  Although it can
>> be argued "what is mainstream" I consider
>> mainstream to mean walk into Best Buy and
>> walk out with software applications of your
>> choice.
>
>Intel and Hewlett-Packard introduced the Itanium processor (64 bit registers
>and 64 bit data bus) in May of 2001.  The Itanium 2 processor (64 bit
registers
>and 128 bit + 8 bit ECC data bus) came out in June of 2002.  The Itanium
>processors run Window XP (64 bit Edition), Linux (4 distributions) and 2 Unix
>versions (HP-UX and AIX).  The Itaniums also have a 32 bit compatibility mode
>so that it can run old operating systems.

The Itanium runs 32-bit applications under emulation
and it does so slower than a good 32-bit Athlon XP
or Intel's own 32-bit P4 for that matter.

Note I said "a 64-bit processor that can run a
mainstream OS natively" with NATIVE being the
key.

Opteron is the first x86 64-bit processor that can
do this.  G5 does this for Macintosh.  Intel has
nothing comparable at the moment although they
may have to rethink their stategy if Opteron is a
success (or even if G5 is a success considering
it will demonstrate the importance of migration).

Opteron can run 32-bit applications faster than
AMD's 32-bit processor.  G5 can run 32-bit Mac
apps faster than the fastest G4.  Itanium runs
32-bit apps under emulation slower than a P4.

There IS a difference.