more on Apple to ditch IBM, switch to Intel chips | CNET News.com

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Jonathan S. Shapiro" <shap () eros-os org>
Date: June 4, 2005 11:43:10 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Cc: Ip ip <ip () v2 listbox com>
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Apple to ditch IBM, switch to Intel chips |  
CNET News.com


On Sat, 2005-06-04 at 19:45 -0400, David Farber wrote:

> As Gruber points out, an architecture shift would require the re-
> release of all Mac software recompiled for the new chip...

This is not a short-term problem.

Let's look at another major chip switch that is currently in progress:
Sun is phasing out the SPARC-64 in favor of the AMD64. Like IBM's
PowerPC, SPARC has been underperforming for a long time.

What is not widely known, though I have it from multiple sources, is
that there exists dynamic translator technology to run SPARC binary
application code on an AMD64 machine. The punch line: the SPARC code
runs *faster* this way. Sun quietly acquired the company about a year
ago.

Ironically, this approach is what we (HaL Computer Systems) advised Sun
to do in 1991, when they originally made the switch to 64 bit. We
strongly recommended adopting a clean 64-bit architecture and providing
32-bit support through dynamic translation. Dave Ditzel, who was then
the chief Sparc Architect, rejected this suggestion on both technical
and marketing grounds. Then a curious thing happened. About 18 months
later, Dave went and founded Transmeta, which is a company primarily
based on the success of dynamic translation.

Back when Apple switched to the Power PC, they did a dynamic translator
for 68000 applications. There is no reason they can't do it again. It
would be easier to do now. In fact, one of my students has a fast
dynamic translator sitting on the shelf that could readily be adapted to
this use.

The pressing technical issues for Apple are the absence of a laptop
processor and the absence of higher clock rates. The pressing *business*
issues are incompatibility and market differentiation. The technical
issues involved in switching can be solved. The business issues are much
harder.


Jonathan Shapiro
Department of Computer Science
Johns Hopkins University



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