Exactly. Adding microcode would make the chip too expensive for the low end, so you would end up having a special chip fab for the mainframe version. Thus you loose the advantage of using Power for the mainframe.
Using power for the mainframe only works if you convert everything to the Power architecture. I doubt that this is feasible. -----Original Message----- From: Alan Cox [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, August 08, 2003 10:04 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: IBM's Power5+ to hit 3GHz On Gwe, 2003-08-08 at 17:45, Fargusson.Alan wrote: > I have to wonder what the point of doing that would be. I think the reason > that IBM wants to move the mainframe to the Power is so they can get rid of > things like microcode. Microcode is high maintenance. How about simply being "volume". It must really annoy the accountants having such a low volume chip fab for mainframe 8)
