x86

CPU

The family of processor used in IBM-compatible PCs. AmigaOS will not run natively on an x86 processor, though can though emulation (including Amithlon). The only Amigoid OS that can currently run on this processor family is AROS.

The x86 family of CPU's started back in 1978, with the 16-bit 8086.

In 1981 IBM made the remarkable decision not to use the Motorola 68k (as every other computer manufacturer had decided), but instead use the intel 8086. Their decision was based not on technical superiority, since the 68k was a far superior chip in every way, but due to the fact they already had a contract with intel to supply the chip for a teletype (sort of typewriter) machine.

The x86 lagged far behind the 68k in terms of performance until the introduction of the Intel Pentium (i586), which took advantage of the simple (load/store) nature of the x86 instruction set and fitted it to a RISC core, and made it superscalar (much like the 68060). Sadly the beautiful, orthogonal instruction set of the 68k was far too human oriented and would not scale well (see Coldfire), resulting in Motorola abandonning the 68k in favour of the RISC PowerPC.

In the Mid 90's Intel was challenged by AMD, who built x86 compatible CPUs known as the K6. In the year 2000 AMD introduced the mighty Athlon... the worlds first commercially available 1Ghz desktop CPU. (Note: IBM REsearcher managed to push a specially selected Engneering Sample PowerPC chip to 1Ghz a year before).

The x86 CPU's (from both AMD and Intel) have grown in power and now are some of the most powerful CPU's available (if not the hottest... ). In 2003 AMD launced the Opteron and later the Athlon64 (basily the same chip but with different busses), which is a 64bit version of the x86 (The 64bit mode was developed by the Digital Alpha team, and is far more elegant that the original x86 instruction set/architecture).

AROS is being ported to the Althon64. AROS will probably be the first 64bit Amigoid OS*, since it is not a great deal to recompile it.

• Note: The IBM PPC970 is also a 64 bit CPU and although MorphOS and AmigaOS4 may run on it in the future, they will not immediately be enhanced to use the 64bit features.