🚀 go-pugleaf

dan@ennex1.eng.utsa.edu (Daniel Shelton) writes (in one long line):
>
>From what I have heard about Intel's chips is that in their rush to get them out the door, the chips still have bugs in them.  Does this mean that if NeXT goes with Intel then those persons who buy the first risc machines will be plagued with bugs and constantly having to replace the processors?  Maybe Motorola does deliver the chips later than Intel but they take care of their bugs so we don't have to.
>
>Dan

My gut reaction is to ask how many silicon eratta joe user has had to
fix :) Usually bugs at the chip level are covered in the trap handlers 
and compilers. Say that the P5's bugs slow it down 20% over a "bug free"
P5 due to extra trap handlers and limitations on the compilers. That's 
still going to blow the doors off Moto's 680X0 line for the next year. 
Aditionally, one can reasonably expect the P5 to sell quite a bit
better than the 88110 -- implying a lower cost product.

Intel's chips may be buggy, the instruction set may be ugly, but they
are fast for the price. The silicon eratta and non-orthogonal instruction 
set would be dealt with by people at Next. The benefits would be
speed and price for the users. Sounds like a good choice if they've
got good people. (And they do.)


-Chris