The biggest problem I see with this shift will be the
expectations that OS X will work on generic/other PCs.
The stability of Mac OS has relied on the lack of
available, "uncontrolled" hardware. x86 PCs OTOH can
vary widely in chipsets and expansion capability. One
only has to look at the Linux kernel configuration to
see how many different drivers are available for the
different hardware for just the typical desktop PC.
This doesn't include servers and server expansion
boards (SCSI, etc.).
And there is this interesting fact about the G4.
>From
http://it.asia1.com.sg/newsdaily/news002_20040119.html
Based on the wickedly speedy next-generation
processor, the G4 was so powerful that the US
government classified the supercomputer as a
weapon, restricting its export to 'sensitive'
countries which could use it to theoretically
design nuclear weapons.
I don't recall any single x86 CPU being rated like
this.
If I was in the market for a Mac, I'd still get a
G4/G5. I would probably get one from the Apple outlet
after the x86 versions came out, to save a buck and
get a more stable system.
Though, how much bloat does having binaries supporting
both architectures incur?
Apple's just happy that can get away with having
another dual-CPU server with one socket;) For those
unaware, dual-G4's are available as a single-socket
unit. Not technically dual-core, though, as there are
2 separate CPUs on the "chip".
Andrew Barber
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