On 10/30/2012 8:05 AM, John Hasler wrote: > Stan Hoeppner writes: >> At this point in time, and in the foreseeable, the only way to crack >> into the desktop market is with a new x86 chip that has sufficiently >> compelling advantages over both Intel and AMD. And since one must >> have a license from Intel to do so, that ain't gonna happen. > > There is no intellectual property protection for instruction sets. If > there was you can be sure that Amdahl would never have shipped a single > computer.
I didn't mention ISAs. But since you did, note there is much more to processor compatibility than simply implementing the ISA in a clean design. Some instructions require a specific circuit design, which is patentable, for example mode switching instructions. And you can't copy the microcode which is covered by copyright. Etc, etc. Let me know when you're tired of me schooling you. ;) -- Stan -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/5090df7f.4060...@hardwarefreak.com
