Linux fat/bloated

[Colin McGregor]

--- wattst-dxuVLtCph9gsA/PxXw9srA at public.gmane.org wrote:
> Quoting Lennart Sorensen
> <lsorense-1wCw9BSqJbv44Nm34jS7GywD8/FfD2ys at public.gmane.org>:
> 
> > On Fri, Apr 07, 2006 at 05:48:54AM -0400, Robert
> Brockway wrote:
> > > So what we need is a control experiment.  We
> take 2 identical systems,
> > > compile one for the correct cpu and the other
> for i386.  Then we have the
> > > admin run a series of commands on each box while
> wearing a blindfold.  The
> > > admin has to tell us which system is faster.
> > >
> > > Let's call it the "Gentoo challenge".
> >
> > Why i386?  glibc can't even compile for i386
> anymore (needs i486 I
> > believe).  At least use that.  That is what debian
> uses now.  i386 gets
> > the missing instructions (only a few) emulated in
> the kernel similar to
> > how the fpu is emulated when missing.
> >
> > Len Sorensen
> 
> This is getting un-linux related, but I've never
> known what i386/486/etc. refers
> to and how you tell the difference.  I know that x86
> simply refers to the Intel
> architecture, but the numbers 3 to 6 are what I
> don't know.  Like, does Pentium
> II or III correspond to one of those numbers?

When it comes to the numbers, the 8086 was Intel's
first effort at a 16-bit CPU chip, which was followed
by the cost reduced version the 8088 CPU (a chip that
was used by IBM for the first IBM PCs, as it looked to
the software developers to be a 16 bit chip, but to
the hardware developers like an 8 bit chip). This was
followed by the 80186 chip (that for several reasons
tanked in the market), then came the 80286 chip. Next
came the 80386 or Intel '386 or simply i386 chip,
which is what Linus wrote the first Linux for (because
there was some hardware support for virtual memory on
the chip). Next came another upgrade to the 80486
chip. In other words things went as follows:

- 8086
- 8088
- 80186
- 80286
- 80386
- 80486

For Intel there was a marketting problem with the
80486 chip, after a court battle Intel found out they
could NOT trademark just a number, so they could not
say stop AMD from calling their Intel 80486 act-alike 
chip an 80486. The the replacement for the Intel 80486
chip was called a Pentium, with Intel trademarking the
name so that no other firm could use that name in
connection with a CPU chip. Since then each generation
of Intel chips has had the Pentium name plus a name or
a number. So this lot went as follows:

- Pentium
- Pentium Pro
- Pentium II
- Pentium III
- Pentium IV

Hope this helps.

Colin McGregor
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