9fans archive / 2000 / 05 / 50 /    prev next

From: Douglas Fraser dwfraser@luc...
Subject: [9fans] (the potential) new release of Plan9, i386 only?
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 13:20:23 GMT



Digby Tarvin wrote:

<snip>

> If I wanted somthing with a bit more processing power but still
> a usable architecture, I would probably go PowerPC.
> 
> It looked like being in with a chance at being an
> alternate 'standard' architecture up until OS-2 ceased
> to be effective competition for Microsoft, which resulted in
> Microsoft deciding it could afford to please its Intel ally by
> discontinuing the PowerPC version of NT.

More than that, it was also the basis of an Apple clone
architecture developed by IBM and Motorola three years back.
The design was wonderful, allowing a boot to Apple (MacOS)
or any other OS. The Apple ROM was only used by MacOS, the
other systems would just run the system. Apple had some control
over trhe design, I don't know the issues, but when they
halted all the Mac clones, they also killed the open architecture
model as well. There was some initial resistance by Motorola
and IBM, with each claiming certain rights to the MacOS port.
It all died quietly. I had the hardware architecture document
in PDF. It was an open document available at both Motorola and IBM.

Doug

> 

<snip>