From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Aug 5 13:28:58 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E4D4B106564A for ; Wed, 5 Aug 2009 13:28:58 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from erikt@midgard.homeip.net) Received: from ch-smtp01.sth.basefarm.net (ch-smtp01.sth.basefarm.net [80.76.149.212]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9E5188FC0A for ; Wed, 5 Aug 2009 13:28:58 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from erikt@midgard.homeip.net) Received: from c83-255-48-78.bredband.comhem.se ([83.255.48.78]:49472 helo=falcon.midgard.homeip.net) by ch-smtp01.sth.basefarm.net with esmtp (Exim 4.68) (envelope-from ) id 1MYgX8-0006Zq-58 for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:28:00 +0200 Received: (qmail 22005 invoked by uid 1001); 5 Aug 2009 15:27:55 +0200 Date: Wed, 5 Aug 2009 15:27:55 +0200 From: Erik Trulsson To: David Southwell Message-ID: <20090805132755.GA21963@falcon.midgard.homeip.net> References: <200908051414.49468.david@vizion2000.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <200908051414.49468.david@vizion2000.net> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.20 (2009-06-14) X-Originating-IP: 83.255.48.78 X-Scan-Result: No virus found in message 1MYgX8-0006Zq-58. X-Scan-Signature: ch-smtp01.sth.basefarm.net 1MYgX8-0006Zq-58 55d063ed3c15c8622a35c5e9db39a429 Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: kernel designations terminology confusion -- amd64 used for into quad core X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:28:59 -0000 On Wed, Aug 05, 2009 at 02:14:49PM +0100, David Southwell wrote: > Hi every one > > My understanding is that one uses the amd64 for building a kernel for systems > with Intel Quad Core processors. That depends on if you installed the amd64 version of FreeBSD or the i386 version. The kernel should of course match the rest of the system. Intel's Quad Core processors (at least all the models they have released so far) supports both amd64 and i386. (i386 being 32-bit, while amd64 is 64-bit.) > > It is helpful when naming conventions follow a logical strand. I mean why does > freebsd use a single manufacturer's name to represent a genre? The amd64 architecture is called that because it was AMD who invented and created it and was for a while the only one using it and since AMD named the architecture AMD64 that was the name FreeBSD used too. Later Intel also started using it (while using their own name(s) for it), but FreeBSD has stuck with the name amd64. This is no more strange than calling the i386 architecture for i386 even if it runs on a whole lot of processors other than the original Intel 80386. -- Erik Trulsson ertr1013@student.uu.se