Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 13th Nov 2012 22:24 UTC
"Advanced Micro Devices has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co to explore options, which could include a potential sale, as the chipmaker struggles to find a role in an industry increasingly focused on mobile and away from traditional PCs, according to three sources familiar with the situation." Woah. Bad news for competition in the x86 space.
Thread beginning with comment 542516
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE[2]: What about 64-bit only?
by zima on Thu 15th Nov 2012 06:22
in reply to "RE: What about 64-bit only?"
Member since:2005-07-06
RE[3]: What about 64-bit only?
by Neolander on Thu 15th Nov 2012 07:26
in reply to "RE[2]: What about 64-bit only?"
Member since:2010-03-08
Plus, isn't amd64 effectively a superset of x86? Meaning you can't really implement the former without major parts of the latter?
Yeah, AMD64 also follows a logic that's very similar to that of x68, but I don't know if Intel's license/patents/whatever prevents people from doing what they want with x86 go this far.
Edited 2012-11-15 07:30 UTC
RE[3]: What about 64-bit only?
by twitterfire on Thu 15th Nov 2012 12:36
in reply to "RE[2]: What about 64-bit only?"
Member since:2008-09-11
Data is 64 bit, instructions can use 16, 32 or 64 bits.
For example:
mov ah, bh //16 bit
mov ax, bx //32 bit
mov rax, rbx // 64 bit
Intel patents cover instruction set so you can't have x64 only cpus without infringing Intel's patents.
So that's why hardware patents are as bad as software patents because they hinder competition.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2010-03-08
Does Windows 64-bit Vista/7/8 have 32-bit code still lingering that would keep them from running on AMD chips? Would we lose instructions like sse or do they have 64-bit versions? Most importantly, would any chips be grandfathered in so while new chips would lose 32-bit instructions, the new company could still produce the current line of CPUs while they make the transition?
I would see two problems with that:
1/AMD64 processors start in x86 compatibility mode as an architectural decision, so removing x86 support would effectively imply creating a new incompatible processor architecture (similarly to what was done in IA-64... and it bombed)
2/Even with fully 64-bit operating systems, most user software is still 32-bit. An x86 compatibility mode would thus be necessary in order to execute it.
Edited 2012-11-14 15:06 UTC