I like the idea of an Open Source chip! <quote src=" http://www.zdnet.com/article/why-intel-x86-must-die-our-cloud-centric-future-depends-on-open-source-chips-meltdown/"> We need to stop thinking about microprocessor systems' architectures as these licensed things that are developed in secrecy by mega-companies like Intel or AMD or even ARM. Sun had the right idea ====================== In 2008, when I wrote the precursor to this article, the now-defunct Sun Microsystems -- whose intellectual property assets are owned today by Oracle -- decided to open-source a chip architecture, the OpenSPARC T2. The concept at the time did not exactly fly and didn't get any real takers. What has since happened to Sun in its absorption by Oracle has been less than pleasant for all the parties involved, and given the extremely litigious nature of the company, it is understandable why nobody has latched onto OpenSPARC. However, despite the history, I think Sun had the right idea at the time. We need to develop a modern equivalent of an OpenSPARC that any processor foundry can build upon without licensing of IP, in order to drive down the costs of building microprocessors at immense scale for the cloud, for mobile and the IoT. It makes the $200 smartphone as well as hyperscale datacenter lifecycle management that much more viable and cost-effective. Just as Linux and open source transformed how we view operating systems and application software, we need the equivalent for microprocessors in order to move out of the private datacenter rife with these legacy issues and into the green field of the cloud. We need to create something new =============================== Indeed, there are some risks, such as forking, which has been known to plague open-source systems -- but, more often than not, it creates an ecosystem of competition between the well-run communities and the bad ones. And, more often than not, the good ones emerge as the standards that get embraced. I cannot say definitively what architecture this new chip family needs to be based on. However, I don't see ARM donating its IP to this effort, and I think OpenSPARC may not be it either. Perhaps IBM POWER? It would certainly be a nice gesture of Big Blue, and it would help to maintain and establish the company's relevancy in the cloud going forward. The reality is that we now need to create something new, free from any legacy entities and baggage that has been driving the industry and dragging it down the past 40 years. Just as was done with Linux. </quote. -- A: Yes. > Q: Are you sure? >> A: Because it reverses the logical flow of conversation. >>> Q: Why is top posting frowned upon? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org