Re: [NTLK] [OT? ]More on Jaguar on x86?

From: Alexander Schreiber (als_at_thangorodrim.de)
Date: Sat Aug 31 2002 - 21:04:40 PDT


On Sat, Aug 31, 2002 at 10:22:07PM -0500, Jim Witte wrote:
> The article also says that Apple and IBM are working to add the
> Altivec core to IBMs64-bit Power4 chip. I could see the Marklar
> project as (perhaps) something they could hang over Moterola's head,
> saying "Look if you get too snippy, we can move the Mac line to x86 in
> 2 years". It makes me wonder - if they have a running version of
> Jaguar on x86, do they also have a complete x86 *Mac* buried somewhere
> in the skunkworks? And if Apple never switches over, will anyone ever
> see it (ghosts of Newton..)?

I don't think so. That x86 platform is most likely just a normal x86 PC
box, no special hardware. As long as they just keep it in the lab, they
don't have to support the usual metric buttload of different hardware
that is the norm for x86 PC - just the rather narrow set (one, two
mainboards and a handful of graphic, sound and network adapters) that
make up their internal x86 reference platform. No sense in dumping money
into designing special own hardware if you are not planning to make
money from it. Just look at the _very_ narrow hardware that set Darwin/x86
is running on - that most likely mirrors what they use for MacOS X/x86.

Regards,
       Alex.

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