P-IV is i386 or i686?

[James Wilkinson]

Matthew Miller wrote:
> P4 is i686. The i386 packages, however, are also optimized for i386, so
> except in rare cases, it doesn't make much of a difference. The packages
> (like the kernel) where you have the option are usually those where it
> *does* make a difference, so when you have the choice, pick i686.

Since people are confused, I'd better clarify.

The i386 packages will *run* on a 386 [1], but are *optimized* for a
Pentium 4.

Basically, Intel seem chronically incapable of following any naming or
numbering scheme for more than about five years. This makes it very
difficult to talk about the different generations of products without
taking *one* naming scheme and extending it further than Intel did.

James.

[1] Has this really faded from collective memory? Before Intel started
calling their processors Pentiums, they went 8086 -> (80186) -> (80)286
-> 386 -> 486. They dropped this naming scheme after they lost a
trademark lawsuit to AMD: the judge said you couldn't trademark numbers.

The "i" prefix was added in case the ruling went this way: the Intel
processor was the i486. AMD was allowed to call theirs the Am486, but
trademark law did stop them calling it an i486.

And yes, there was a *lot* more to the story.

-- 
James Wilkinson       | "Isn't air travel wonderful?  Breakfast in London,
Exeter    Devon    UK | dinner in New York, luggage in Brazil."
E-mail address: james | 
@westexe.demon.co.uk  |