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Re: Concerns about AMD64 port



On Sat, Feb 07, 2004 at 01:12:14PM -0500, Eric Sharkey wrote:
> > I think there could be a good reason for a "multiarch" (for commercial
> > software compatability), but I've been waiting more than 3 or so years for
> > the first 64bit Intel and AMD CPUs and an OS (preferably Linux/*BSD) to be
> > fully 64bit (including application software)
> 
> Uhm, why?  If you don't care about running 32-bit code and you compile
> everything yourself, why didn't you just buy an Alpha or UltraSparc
> workstation three years ago?

AMD announced their platform around 2000. Buying an Alpha or UltraSparc
that is of a reasonable speed is very expensive. Just a few years ago I
had a Sun U10 computer at work, it cost several times more than an x86
and was several times slower. A USII is roughly equivalent in speed to
a P2 at the same MHz. I don't know how fast the USIII processors are but
they still cost about as much as Itanium's so are not a solution for
anyone other than big business. 64bit computing is now mainstream you can
buy an AMD64 3000+ with motherboard for $300. Try doing that with a
comparable speed Alpha, Itanium, or UltraSparc.

Chris

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