Linux vs Windos WAS : [newbie] Re: Using i486s with Linux

[Troy Thomas Hall]

I think you've really hit the nail on the head. Allen/SlackWareWolf/GORE wrote: ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert Walker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Ray Hogaboom" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 7:23 PM Subject: Re: [newbie] Re: Using i486s with Linux Wednesday, February 25, 2004, 6:47:52 PM, you wrote: Example My P3 450 mhz with 120 megs ram running XP Pro would run circles around my wife's Laptop P4 2.3 Gz with 512 megs ram Running XP Home. Hi Ray, My understanding of the Intel processor architecture strategy to push more speed out of there pentium line is to Superpipeline the core to ever increasing degrees (34 stages!! for the latest P4 Prescott architecture) to enable them to reduce the clock cycle. So a P3 running clock for clock is always faster than the P4M because the P4M has a deeper pipeline (cache misses hurt more). It is crazy that a clean architecture like that used in the PowerPC ISA isn't the dominant CPU type on the planet. Just like how Linux plays second fiddle to MS (because of 3rd party support problems). The P4M doesn't have the SSE extensions implemented in hardware. I compile my Linux kernels with the P3 switch for my Laptop (the closest match just now I understand). Also laptops use slow 5400RPM harddisks... When I switch between my P4M laptop and my P4HT Desktop with 15K RPM Ultra SCSI 320 drives it really hurts :-) -- Best regards, Robert mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Linux could be dominant if people used it first. Think about it, when you're in school, you use Windows, when you're at work, Windows, unless you work for people who are into technology, or go to school for *NIX, then you use Windows. People are used to using it so they never switch. I think you've hit the nail on the head.  The only way we're going to get things to change permamently is by increasing the number of default installs that utilize *nix.  I've been noticing that several companies are now distributing systems to end users with "lindows OS" as the preferred OS.  I haven't checked out Lindows yet, but perhaps its a step in the right direction. Troy Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com