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NEC, the world's second largest semiconductor manufacturer, believes that the sucess of Linux would allow another microprocessor architecture to be established in the PC market. If Linux becomes mainstream, the basis for microprocessor competition would be cost/performance and not architecture. Although NEC might design its own processor architecture for Linux, it's more likely that they use the existing MIPS architecture. In related news, Justsystem will port its Ichitaro word processing program to Linux, and offer in July ATOK, a program for Japanese-language input.

The new EETimes (print edition) hit the canteen tables today, leading with an article about TeraGen's new processor. Like the processor described by Transmeta's patent, this processor is able to emulate multiple instructions sets. But it adds an extra twist: the ability to emulate more than one CPU simultaneously. This allows it to replace a DSP, a CPU and other parallel devices by one chip, making it ideal for embedded applications. Update: 02/02 03:30 by S : More details here.

An AMD K6 powered PC has beaten world chess number two Vishy Anand. The K6 was cooled letting it process 200,000 moves a second, far less than IBM's deep Blue (200 million moves a second), but the K6 had the advantage of anti-grandmaster software.

Rise is hoping to deliver its mP6 socket 7, PII-level clones by Christmas. Given that their first silicon worked (not usual) they may be well on track. In related news, Cyrix and IBM will no longer work together. There will be no more Cyrix chips manufactured by IBM. Instead IBM will use ST's Metaflow design. ST (previously SGS Thomson) is another ex-Cyrix licensee.

Another cookie-using article at Electronics Weekly discusses Intel's new baby: a 300Mhz StrongArm and DSP combo-chip for use in information appliances. This is quite a radical move for PC-centric Intel but one that makes sense. It allows Intel to preserve "x86's" value-add, and yet makes a very strong technical case should Intel need to compete in the IA market. Indeed StrongArm provides better power/performance than x86s which are the horse Cyrix and Acer (among others) are riding into the IA battle. Also at the Hot Chips conference, were 600Mhz UltraSparc and Alpha processors, and a small MIPS core that should produce 600 MIPS for a cost of $1.

Electronics Weekly is carrying, what is for me, a bitter-sweet article. I was bitten by many of their points. Hopefully this will help others in the same position.

Electronics Weekly is carrying, what is for me, a bitter-sweet article. I was bitten by many of their points. Hopefully this will help others in the same position.

While some of the media reported that Acer was considering developing its own x86 processors, it would seem that it will be using Cyrix processors instead. Read more below. In related news, ARM will release specs on its ARM 10 chip at that the Embedded Processor Forum on October 15th. It is expected to run at 500 MIPS, well in excess of StrongArm, raising the question of how ARM will position it with respect to Intel's SA-1500 processors. There should be some interesting competition between the ARM architecture and the low end x86 market in the near future.

A while back, IBM semiconductor could manufacture all of the non-intel x86 clones: AMD, Winchip, and Cyrix. But the tide seems to have turned with AMD now relying on Motorola instead of IBM, and Cyrix accusing IBM of undercutting them on price. I wonder whether this has anything to do with IBM's recent alliance with ST Microelectronics, proud owners of Metaflow, another x86 design house... alliance which should result in production of a system on a chip by the end of this year.

While some of the media reported that Acer was considering developing its own x86 processors, it would seem that it will be using Cyrix processors instead. Read more below. In related news, ARM will release specs on its ARM 10 chip at that the Embedded Processor Forum on October 15th. It is expected to run at 500 MIPS, well in excess of StrongArm, raising the question of how ARM will position it with respect to Intel's SA-1500 processors. There should be some interesting competition between the ARM architecture and the low end x86 market in the near future.

A while back, IBM semiconductor could manufacture all of the non-intel x86 clones: AMD, Winchip, and Cyrix. But the tide seems to have turned with AMD now relying on Motorola instead of IBM, and Cyrix accusing IBM of undercutting them on price. I wonder whether this has anything to do with IBM's recent alliance with ST Microelectronics, proud owners of Metaflow, another x86 design house... alliance which should result in production of a system on a chip by the end of this year.

According to UK based Electronics Weekly, Sun is considering relaxing the terms of the Java license. No precise details were available. (Access to the site requires cookies (boo) and registration (boo)).

According to UK based Electronics Weekly, Sun is considering relaxing the terms of the Java license. No precise details were available. (Access to the site requires cookies (boo) and registration (boo)).

LES.. writes "Acorn Computers has demoed a new set-top box dased on the StrongARM1500 processor decoding MPEG-2 video streams in software." The page requires a password. Annoying, but you guys probably all know of a certain l/p combo that will let you in if you're to lazy *grin*.