On Mon, Dec 14, 2009 at 00:32:15 +0000,
John5342 <john5342(a)googlemail.com> wrote:
Actually i think the reason AMDs approach worked was because it was
backward compatible with ix86 so instead of having to have an OS ready
up front and people having to migrate wholesale customers could start
upgrading to x86_64 processors slowly while still using 32bit OS. Then
as 64bit OS becomes available people can use that whilst still
enjoying their favorite apps that haven't yet been ported to 64bit. In
short it was evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
I think that was also needed. But I don't think they would have been able to
get traction in the server market without having the prompt linux / gcc
support.