Jeffrey J. Nonken on Tue, 24 Jun 2003 15:00:27 -0400 |
On Tue, 24 Jun 2003 11:59:22 -0400, William H. Magill wrote: >Yesterday's announcement by Apple of G5 PowerPC systems based on the >IBM 970 PowerPC gives anybody interested in Linux a new 64-bit, >seriously high-performance, platform to work with. >(www.apple.com/g5/) > >On another list a couple of us have been discussing the >implications... > >The 970 runs both 32 and 64 bit code. > >IBM has large chip runs to meet its own needs, but the chip runs to >fill Apple's needs is at least an order of magnitude larger. That >means >cheap chips...! [All being built in a brand new IBM Fab.] > >Apple is pricing the Dual 2 ghz CPU with a 1 ghz system bus at $2999! > >There is a sub 20w version of the 970 that runs at 1.2 ghz ... can >you >say Laptop? > >"IBM's entry into the commodity Power chip space will only bring >down >the prices as well. It seems IBM's strategy is to sell the >commodity >version for Linux solutions (as well as to Apple)." > >Couple this with the fact that IBM DOES have decent compiler >technology, significant experience with emulation from the 68K to >PowerPC migration, and, unlike Digital, Compaq or HP, DOES >understand >Marketing -- Itanium with Alpha inside is likely to prove too little >too late. (Tape-out was scheduled for late 2004, early 2005.) > >This announcement is the "first shoe" that many of us who watch the >hardware side of things have been waiting for since Compaq killed >Alpha. It basically marks the beginning of the end for SPARC and for >the entry of folks like Dell into the mid-range server market. > >And if we suddenly discover that we also are once again seeing REAL >IBM >clones appear again, it could also hammer Hammer. > >Hardware has just gotten interesting again. > I just wanna see the Microsoft/Intel/AMD threesome (yes, that was a deliberate sexual reference -- except that it's not each other they're fucking, it's us) have some real competition. Especially in light of Palladium. Palladium SCARES me. The concept of giving ANYBODY a lock on my computer decisions scares me. Besides, they have a kickass movie on their web site. :) _________________________________________________________________________ Philadelphia Linux Users Group -- http://www.phillylinux.org Announcements - http://lists.netisland.net/mailman/listinfo/plug-announce General Discussion -- http://lists.netisland.net/mailman/listinfo/plug
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