Name of the Debian x86-64/AMD64 port
"Chris did actually originally agree to "x86-64" and at least Tollef Fog
Heen has agreed with it..."
I agreed to it because I wasn't thinking straight. I had thought all the
os/dists used x86_64 for some reason. I had ~ 103-104F fever at the time.
I was sick from 5/27 - 6/10 (?) Once I was well enough I realized that
nothing uses x86-64, only fedora uses x86_64 and everything else uses
amd64. That is why I changed my mind...
"They call it "x64" internally, allegedly. And you're confusing my
natural sarcasm with proper debate, tsk tsk."
They might call it that now, but the last time I downloaded Windows XP
64bit off their site it was called amd64...
"
This isn't a marketing decision -- we can still use "AMD64" in
marketing material (or the better "AMD64/x86-64" moniker) just like we
refer to PA-RISC as PA-RISC.
This is a technical decision involving dpkg, so we should instead look
at what each use underneath the hood for their next release.
x86_64 amd64 x64
------ ----- ---
LSB FreeBSD Microsoft
RedHat EL NetBSD
Fedora OpenBSD
Mandrake Gentoo
SuSE
GNU
It's not as clear-cut as you make out ... which is one of the reasons
we've *had* this debate!
"
This is not an issue of just marketing, all documentation referred to by
the other os/dists (besides Fedora) call its amd64. The only os/dists
that call it x86_64 are ones running a particular version of rpm as you
have clearly stated before. Even the LSB calls it amd64 everywhere and
only requires that compliant dists be able to install x86_64 lsb rpms.
Also, as you have already made clear Debian can't realistically use
x86_64 and since no one else uses x86-64 the clear winner here is amd64.
Documentation
-------------
x86_64 amd64 "64bit Extended Systems"
------ ----- ------------------------
Fedora FreeBSD Microsoft
GNU* Gentoo
GNU*
LSB
Mandrake
NetBSD
OpenBSD
RedHat Enterprise Linux
SUSE
Internal
x86_64 amd64 x64
------ ---- ---
LSB FreeBSD Microsoft?
Fedora Gentoo
SuSE GNU*
GNU* Mandrake
Microsoft
NetBSD
OpenBSD
RedHat Enterprise Linux
1. GNU refers to both x86_64-*-* and amd64-*-*
2. Microsoft apparently uses both amd64 and x64 internally.
3. Mandrake, RHEL may convert to x86_64 internally when they adopt newer rpm.
"I believe that naming the architecture "amd64" when the Kernel and
Toolchain they're using calls it "x86_64" is even more confusing!
*Especially* for people using Intel chips."
As mentioned above the toolchain uses both naming, x86_64-*-* and
amd64-*-*. The "kernel" being only the Linux kernel using x86_64 and the
other kernels, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD all using amd64. So that's 3:1
in favor of using amd64 for the name. Unless we are going to have
different names for the arch for the different debian ports?
Chris
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