[Gllug] IA32? IA64? x86...

[Chris Bell]

On Thu 03 Oct, Jonathan Harker wrote:
> 
> At 22:09 03/10/2002, you wrote:
> >Hi guys
> >
> >I'm getting a bit fuddled here...
> >
> >Can one of the hardware gurus explain what's what? Which processors are IA32
> >(i{3|4|5}86?), which IA64? Where does i686 fit in the scheme? How is the
> >Itanium related (if at all?)
> 
> Okay here goes...
> 
> Intel have 2 main "machine code" (?) languages - IA32, which was introduced 
> with the 386 processor waaay back, and IA64, which it introduced with the 
> Itanium.
> 

> IA64: Used on Itanium, which uses Intel's new EPIC marketecture, which is 
> some evolution of RISC (or is it semi-parallel? Someone feel free to 
> clarify?). Software requires recompilation to gain any performance benefit 
> from Itanium, as IA32 is sort-of emulated on the chip, and runs slower than 
> a Pentium III at the same MHz as a result. Which is why it has generally 
> bombed.
> 
   Could that be the result of Intel taking over the DEC design work
extending their StrongARM implementation of the Acorn ARM series?
   DEC and Intel had been battling in the courts about infringements of each
other's patents, and decided to call it quits after swapping DEC's chip
design and manufacturing facilities for Intel's computer design and
manufacturing facilities. I have been told that Intel's top management were
far more interested in the DEC StrongARM than the DEC Alpha.

-- 
Chris Bell


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