I am not sure anything can compete with Playstaion II but I agree that this is the tip of the iceberg. It sets the hardware guys free to create insane designs that they couldn't consider before because the software layer insulates apps from the changes. Intel would be wise to adopt, clone, or license this tech.
The phrase, "To the metal..." doesn't quite have the same meaning after today. As a programmer I have always equated programming to the metal with the ultimate in speed but now there is a whole new spin to consider with this new layer of software around the core. As a big fan of both Linux and Java I feel pretty good about abstraction at this low level. It's like object oriented CPU design when such a thing shouldn't really be possible. The best part is that you get a performance gain. Very cool!
Slashdot Mirror
I am not sure anything can compete with Playstaion II but I agree that this is the tip of the iceberg. It sets the hardware guys free to create insane designs that they couldn't consider before because the software layer insulates apps from the changes. Intel would be wise to adopt, clone, or license this tech.
The phrase, "To the metal..." doesn't quite have the same meaning after today. As a programmer I have always equated programming to the metal with the ultimate in speed but now there is a whole new spin to consider with this new layer of software around the core. As a big fan of both Linux and Java I feel pretty good about abstraction at this low level. It's like object oriented CPU design when such a thing shouldn't really be possible. The best part is that you get a performance gain. Very cool!