🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <31DC5D2B.4BBE@ix.netcom.com>
           sommers@ix.netcom.com "David Sommers" writes:

>Lawrence Kirby wrote:
>> 
>> In article <31DBE0AC.202B@ix.netcom.com>
>>            sommers@ix.netcom.com "David Sommers" writes:
>> 
>> >Lawrence Kirby wrote:[.....]
>> >The phrase "Pentium Pro built version" implies compiling the code for an
>> >application (or game) using Pentium Pro machine code instructions and
>> >optimization.
>> 
>> I suspect that most extra Pro instructions are for feature control rather
>> than performance. It may have some extra 64 bit memory move instruction.
>> Certainly procesor specific optimisations are useful - that's one of the
>> methods Intel used to get good SPEC results.
>
>Of course. And that's the same scam a developer can use to produce an
>efficient product.

There is a world of difference between "can" and "actually does".

>> DO you know many applications that supply separate 486 and Pentium
>> optimised binaries?
>
>No commercial ones,

Which is the key for most people.

>but I produce Pentium specific applications for 
>embedded systems at work.

Indeed, I sometimes use the Intel compiler for in-house appications.

>> ID chose gcc to develop Quake (although code efficiency
>> wasn't the only consideration there).
>
>I suspect they were interested in portability across platforms, and
>that they develop on UNIX boxes.

Certainly that is an important factor but doesn't explain why they didn't
use gcc for Doom (at least not the DOS port).

-- 
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Lawrence Kirby | fred@genesis.demon.co.uk
Wilts, England | 70734.126@compuserve.com
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