>About the Merced: the probability of Linux users getting advance
>information from Intel on the Merced is zero. Moreover we would need
>information on IA-64 technology and their "EPIC" instruction set to get
>a version of gcc working, even before we get a Linux kernel working on a
>Merced.
>Unless of course we use Merced's x86 compatible mode, and accept to take
>a performance hit of 70%, which would make Linux look like a slouch next
>to an NT machine running IA-64 code natively. Given the "friendly"
>relationship between Intel and Microsoft, we can expect the first Merced
>machines shipped in 1999 will be running version 5.0 or 6.0 of NT, and
>Linux 3.0 or 4.0 for Merced will be available about 3 years later, when
>it will not be considered a strategic menace anymore.
You couldn't be more wrong.
You didn't read the message I posted to linux-kernel about a week ago:
To quote an HP representative: "We're trying to make the case for an early port
of the GNU utilities and the Linux kernel to a Merced box."
Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 21:21:12 -0500
From: John Gotts <jgotts@umich.edu>
Message-Id: <199710280221.VAA11985@baits-209-72.reshall.umich.edu>
To: linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu
Subject: Fwd: GCC on Merced?
Reply-To: jgotts@engin.umich.edu (John Gotts)
X-Orcpt: rfc822;linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu
Sender: owner-linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu
Precedence: bulk
This piqued my attention quite a bit.
x-gateway: relay5.UU.NET from help-gcc to gnu.gcc.help; Tue, 21 Oct 1997
12:12:10 EDT
Message-ID: <199710202023.AA146669017@cello.hpl.hp.com>
X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0zeta 7/24/97
Subject: GCC on Merced?
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 13:23:33 -0700
From: marcf@cello.hpl.hp.com (Marc Fleischmann)
Newsgroups: gnu.gcc.help
Path:
srvr1.engin.umich.edu!msunews!uwm.edu!gsl-penn-ns.gsl.net!news-peer.gsl.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.monmouth.com!uunet!wendy-fate.uu.net!help-gcc
Sender: help-gcc-request@prep.ai.mit.edu
Lines: 16
Being completely unaware whether this subject has been
elaborated upon before...
..could anybody please comment on how difficult it would
be to port GCC to a VLIW architecture, e.g., the Merced
CPU (see the HP/Intel announcement at the Microprocessor
Forum tomorrow)?
We're trying to make the case for an early port of the
GNU utilities and the Linux kernel to a Merced box.
Thanks a whole lot for your help.
-marc
http://www.hpl.hp.com/personal/Marc_Fleischmann/
-- John GOTTS <jgotts@engin.umich.edu> http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~jgotts