From owner-freebsd-hackers  Tue May  1  1:47: 3 2001
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Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 01:47:14 -0700
From: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com>
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To: Jeremiah Gowdy <jgowdy@home.com>
Cc: remy@boostworks.com, ajh3@chmod.ath.cx,
	freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: x86-64 Hammer and IA64 Itainium
References: <200104181422.f3IELwC11439@luxren2.boostworks.com> <000701c0c8e1$e3016490$015778d8@sherline.net>
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Jeremiah Gowdy wrote:
> Now think about this.  Microsoft Visual C++ will be *the*
> industry compiler for Itainium.  Their compiler is already
> working and has ILP support.  Plus Intel makes its own
> compiler which plugs into Visual Studio.  Both the Microsoft
> and Intel compilers for ILP are going to kick the crap out
> of gcc and I think we all know it.  So then what, you're
> going to have FreeBSD and Linux compiled with an inferior
> compiler compared to Windows with their compilers ?  The
> first thing that will happen is Microsoft will pay for a
> benchmark showing Windows beating the living crap out of
> Linux and BSD.  And this time they won't have to fake it.
> Not having proper ILP support is like intentionally stalling
> pipes constantly.  The whole design of this new cpu is the
> ILP.  Without it, the GNU compiled programs aren't going to
> have much to show for.

FWIW, I have been hearing increasing rumors about Intel
donating their compiler to the FSF in order to ensure
that benchmarks compiled with GCC run best on Intel.

We have seen similar motions from Compaq, in their making
Alpha compiler technology available without charge.

These people sell hardware, not compilers; compilers are
marketing tools for hardware, and have been, ever since
free tools became "good enough" for most uses...

-- Terry

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