Why did Linux need Intel processors specifically?
Comment on Intel CPU Temperature Monitoring Driver For Linux Now Unmaintained After Layoffs
Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 2 days ago
Without Intel processors, Linux wouldn’t have been possible in the first place.
But today we have good processors from many different manufacturers. The Linux community must, and can, stay alive even without the support of one major player.
ryannathans@aussie.zone 2 days ago
Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 2 days ago
The PC was new. There were only Intels in PCs. Linux was made for the PC.
Blackmist@feddit.uk 1 day ago
Sure, but if Intel hadn’t made the 8086 and that entire family line was severed, Linux would have just been made for Motorola 68000 series or something. Or one of the Acorn ARM chips that did the rounds at the time.
Lucelu2@lemmy.zip 22 hours ago
Oh man, you just unlocked memories of my Mom’s 8086 back in the late 80s… her first pc was an Apple but the software… there was more for the Intel. I remember so much disk inserting and printer interface issues and the DOS.
Mihies@programming.dev 2 days ago
We don’t have that many other processors, though. If you look at the desktop, there is AMD and there is Apple silicon which is restricted to Apple products. And then there is nothing. If Intel goes under ground, AMD might become next Intel. It’s time (for EU) to invest heavily into RISC-V, the entire stack.
Zwuzelmaus@feddit.org 2 days ago
ARMs are coming. RISCV are coming.
exu@feditown.com 1 day ago
Neither are commonly available in desktop form factors and they usually require custom builds for each board to work.
9point6@lemmy.world 1 day ago
And for many x86 will remain an important architecture for a long time
Mihies@programming.dev 1 day ago
ARMs are more oriented towards servers and mobile devices for now. Sure, we saw Apple demonstrating desktop use but not much is there for desktops for now. RISC-V is far away, Chinese CPUs are not competitive. It’s coming doesn’t help in short term, questionable in mid term. 🤷♂️ Yes, alternatives will come eventually, but it takes a lot of time and resources.
Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 18 hours ago
You can get workstations with Ampere Altra CPUs that use an ARM ISA. It’s not significant in the market, more of a server CPU put in a desktop for developers, but it provides a starting point, from which you could cut down the core count and try to boost the clocks.
There is also the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus with some laptops on the market from mainstream brands already (Asus Zenbook A14, Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, Dell Inspiron 5441). That conversely could probably scale to a desktop design fairly quickly.
You’re right that we’re not there, but I don’t think we’re that far off either. If Intel keeled over there would be a race to fill the gap and they wouldn’t leave the market to AMD alone.
Mwa@thelemmy.club 1 day ago
There is ARM also found on apple,raspberry pi,Orange Pi but those are SBCS they can always be turned into ARM.
The only problem with ARM its a closed ISA like X64.
And note that the raspberry pi and orange pi is a SBC. The only Problem with both ARM AND RISC-V They are RISC not CISC like x64 so better power consumption with lower clock speeds.
Mihies@programming.dev 1 day ago
RISC is perfectly good for desktops as demonstrated by Apple. Microcontroller chips are suitable for light desktop tasks, they are nowhere near modern x64 CPUs. For now.
Eknz@lemmy.eknz.org 1 day ago
It doesn’t really make much of a difference on modern CPUs as instructions are broken down into RISC-like operands even on CISC CPUs before being processed to make pipelining more effective.
Mwa@thelemmy.club 1 day ago
alr thanks for the info