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Intel Publishes "X86-S" Specification For 64-bit Only Architecture
Intel quietly released a new whitepaper and specification for their proposal on "X86-S" as a 64-bit only x86 architecture. If their plans workout, in the years ahead we could see a revised 64-bit only x86 architecture.
Entitled "Envisioning a Simplified Intel Architecture", Intel engineers lay the case for a 64-bit mode-only architecture. Intel is still said to be investigating the 64-bit mode-only architecture that they also refer to as "x86S". Intel is hoping to solicit industry feedback while they continue to explore a 64-bit mode only ISA.
[...] Under this proposal, those wanting to run legacy 32-bit operating systems would have to rely on virtualization. To further clarify, 32-bit x86 user-space software would continue to work on modern 64-bit operating systems with X86-S.
Also at Tom's Hardware.
(Score: 4, Funny) by VLM on Monday May 22, @12:08PM (6 children)
I realize "news" is just propaganda run thru chatGPT so can't expect much anymore. However:
OK so they have a 64-only design for the future, cool. Ditch legacy 8080 binary compatibility, sad to see it go but whatever.
Wait, aren't we seeing one now? See above. Literally the previous line was they just released an architecture plan for 64-bit only.
OK see above no running 32 bit virtualization, just so we're all on the same page. Ditto no more running in 16 bit addressing modes, if its 64 bit only. I'll miss setting segment registers like its still 1984.
Wait, what? They'll run in 32-bit mode on a 64-bit mode only system? That'll work well.
I think the chatGPT bot is thinking software emulation but writing virtualization. Sure, you can emulate Z80 and 6502 binary opcodes on a 64-bit proc or any Turing complete processor, technically.
OK so no need to emulate or virtualize, just run 32-bit addressing mode software on a 64-bit-addressing-mode-only processor. Kinda like uploading your legacy PIC12 binaries to a STM32 cpu, what could possibly go wrong?
The meta problem is the linked story above shows how you can, in the short term, replace authors by a very small shell script calling chatGPT. But the readers, and later the advertisers, will just abandon them. The word salad doesn't mean anything, its been too heavily chat botted and run thru the journalist filter to mean anything.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by HiThere on Monday May 22, @01:06PM (1 child)
That could be ChatGPT, or it could just be a reporter/editor with no idea of the subject matter. It's a bit worse than usual, but not THAT much worse.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 3, Funny) by JoeMerchant on Monday May 22, @02:26PM
>It's a bit worse than usual, but not THAT much worse.
Independent bloggers, lowering the bar until AI can do it better...
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(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 22, @01:58PM
Actual 8086 binary compatibility hasn't even really been a thing on modern Intel CPUs anyway, since Intel completely removed the A20 gate in Haswell (ca. 2013).
(Score: 1) by shrewdsheep on Monday May 22, @02:03PM
I interpret this rather as abolishment of real mode (TLDR) rather than anything else. Terribly written indeed.
(Score: 3, Informative) by DannyB on Monday May 22, @02:53PM
If I rememberize correctfully from BYTE magazine and living in the late 1970s . . .
I think you mean legacy 8080 source compatibility.
The stupid segment registers of 8088/86 that were a thorn in the side of PCs for decades, were to have assembly language source code compatibility (but not binary compatibility) with 8080 if you could preset the segment registers correctly. What I would call a Pyrrhic victory.
How often should I have my memory checked? I used to know but...
(Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday May 23, @01:23PM
No, read your own quotes again. Architectures *exist*. We're now seeing the *proposal* for the architecture - a proposal is not the thing. It's not even the plan for the thing - at best it's a draft of a plan for the thing.
Like, if your girlfriend came in and proposed making lasagna for dinner, you wouldn't have lasagna. You wouldn't have even the recipe for the lasagna. All you would have is the proposal.