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http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=878
X on x86 development on par with PPC
By ron carlson, Insanely Great Mac
September 2nd 2002
There is an available alternative to Moto and IBM CPUs, but Apple''s ties to PowerPC
are deep and complex
eWeek has a report on an Apple project called "Marklar," which is tasked with
maintaining an Intel-compatible, "feature-complete" version of OS X. This report comes
as a small but vocal chorus calls on Apple to make the switch to x86 processors and
end once-and-for-all the megahertz gap, as well as the perceived notion that Macs and
by extension the Mac OS is inferior.
According to unnamed sources cited by eWeek, over a dozen engineers are assigned to
Marklar and that the PowerPC version is regularly modified to address bugs that crop
up in the x86 versions. Moreover, build numbers are kept sync with those of their
pre-release PowerPC counterparts -- i.e. there is an Intel compatible version of
Jaguar already up and running.
Deep roots
A number of commentators, in addition to eWeek, have noted that the Mac''s ties to the
PowerPC platform are more than skin deep. Although the X is in many respects a
specialized version of BSD (i.e. NeXT) that was designed to run on Intel-compatible
hardware, the beast that is Jaguar is specifically optimized for G4 chips,
Mac-specific graphic cards, etc. These differences among others rule out any
short-term migration to abundant and cheap PC hardware.
Further, third-party software would need to be completely rewritten to run under MacOS
non-PPC boxes. With the transition to X far from complete -- remember only 5 percent
of us have switched -- any move by Apple at this point would likely result in a mass
desertion from the platform.
Software vendors have invested a great deal in X-compatible software and have seen
disappointing sales thereof thus far (i.e. M$'' Kevin Browne whining slow Office sales
and Apple''s lack of effort in pushing the new OS).
The final word on the topic comes from Jobs himself. In an interview shortly after
Macworld New York, the iCEO informed the world that Apple wouldn''t consider a switch
to PC hardware until the transition to X is complete.
How long will the transition take? Likely two to three years and that''s an optimistic
assessment.
Big Blue to the rescue?
According to unnamed sources quoted by eWeek, the likeliest solution to the Motorola
imbroglio is a desktop version of the 64-bit Power4 server chip in the works at IBM,
which already makes the G3 chips used in current iBooks. Apple and IBM reportedly are
working closely to build Altivec-enhanced Power4 CPUs.
IBM had previously announced that it would not build Altivec PowerPC CPUs. In an
earlier Power4 press release, the company did say that the new CPUs would include
200-odd multimedia-specific processing enhancements, which smells tellingly like a
"velocity engine."
Whatever plans Apple and IBM have (if any) they won''t be revealed for some time. Big
Blue will announce details about Power4 processors at this Fall''s (Oct) processor
forum, but it''s unlikely shipping product will be available at that time let alone
any information on their use in future Macs.
Final word(s)
That Apple is and has been working on an x86-compatible version of X isn''t news. That
the effort is known internally as "Marklar" and that current builds match those of its
PowerPC cousin is new information.
To sum up, Mac on x86 isn''t likely any time in the foreseeable future and any
speculation about Apple switching to IBM''s Power4 won''t be confirmed or discounted
for at least six weeks.
Titillating situation, isn''t it? What''s your take?
Post your comments at:
http://www.insanely-great.com/news.php?id=878
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Copyright (c) 2002 Insanely Great Mac. All rights reserved. This article
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