From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from mail.gmx.net (mail.gmx.net [213.165.64.20]) by ozlabs.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 91951B7BC0 for ; Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:49:05 +1000 (EST) Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:49:04 +0200 (CEST) From: Guennadi Liakhovetski To: Konstantinos Margaritis Subject: Re: Market research for new PowerPC system In-Reply-To: <95FC0E0B-F6FE-45FD-A84E-AC4AF477F786@codex.gr> Message-ID: References: <0046254A-432D-4AE3-9B9F-C0D30311B7D7@codex.gr> <95FC0E0B-F6FE-45FD-A84E-AC4AF477F786@codex.gr> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Cc: debian-powerpc@lists.debian.org, linuxppc-dev@lists.ozlabs.org List-Id: Linux on PowerPC Developers Mail List List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , On Sat, 26 Sep 2009, Konstantinos Margaritis wrote: > > On Sep 26, 2009, at 8:58 PM, Guennadi Liakhovetski wrote: > > > > Ok, just a short comment. In principle I like diversity, competition, etc. > > And it was somewhat sad when Apple abandoned ppc. But honestly - why > > should I be buying a ppc desktop system? If we restrict our comparison to > > Linux, because that's what I'm using, what advantages would a ppc system > > give me over a comparable in price ix86 system? This is not meant > > negatively, I just have not followed recent ppc CPUs from the "desktop" > > range, so, this is a real honest question. Would such a system provide > > more MIPS per Watt at the same price? Or more periferals? Or some specific > > hardware blocks unavailable or unsupported om ix86? > > Ok, I remember a few years back when we had Alpha, MIPS, x86, SPARC, > PowerPC, etc all viable platforms to use and work on. Now it's only x86. I'm sorry, > I just don't like it. I cannot answer your question, no more than I can answer why > a car lover buys an old Jaguar antique for the price he could buy a new Audi S8 > for example. Well, ok the analogy is not exactly the same, but you get the point. > If not, well, the ppc board would just lessen the current gap between x86/ppc in > favour of the -admittedly very small- ppc desktop/hobbyist market. Nevertheless, > I'm pretty sure the system would find itself in many ppc developers' desks, just > because they can't really buy something *new* with those specs, at this price range. > Ok, perhaps I will fail and just add my name to the list of failed hardware projects. > Perhaps not. I really don't know if I can convince you if you don't want to be convinced. > Deliver a super ppc system that beats all x86 systems at the same or better price? No, > I'm sorry I cannot do that, and I never implied I could. Only IBM/Freescale could do that > and even then the game would not be in their favour. Ok, fair enough, as I said, that wasn't meant as a pun. I'd really love to see non-x86 desktops _successful_ on the market, and I don't mean just ARM-based netbooks, nettops, tablets, etc.:-) So, good luck to you, and I really mean it! Interestingly, ppc competes on embedded, competes on servers, but practically absent on desktops (apart from a couple of hackintosh manufacturers:-)), so, maybe indeed there's still something that ppc can offer us that x86 cannot - as a self-contained system, and not just a development platform for ppc professionals? Thanks Guennadi --- Guennadi Liakhovetski, Ph.D. Freelance Open-Source Software Developer http://www.open-technology.de/