Re: Processor requirements

[Leonardo Lopes Pereira]

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005 20:07:37 -0500
"Jonathan S. Shapiro" <address@hidden> wrote:

This is a good question, If I need to say what kind of computers we need to 
support TODAY, I think that still important the support of i486 and i586. I do 
not know where do you live, but they are very used here, in Brazil. But if you 
think that this project will support computers of 2015 (I think that I am very 
optmist), I beleave that support to i586 is needed.

> I'm currently settling the cross-build tools for Coyotos, and I'ld like
> some input on something.
> 
> In EROS, I decided early *not* to support the i386. EROS required i486
> or better. This is because the i386 does not honor the write-protect bit
> in supervisor mode, and we need this for efficiency in the IPC
> implementation.
> 
> Given that it is now 2005, does anybody see a need today to support
> processors earlier than i686 in desktop PCs?
> 
> The specific features I am looking for are the "page size
> extensions" (4M pages) and the per-page global bit. I *think* that both
> of these were actually present in the appendix H extensions for the
> Pentium, but I'm not certain about PSE. I have appendix H in a box
> somewhere, but I'm damned if I can locate it at the moment.
> 
> I am aware that embedded processors like Geode don't all do PSE. We need
> to support those, but the question I'm trying to ask right now has to do
> with the minimum level of PC motherboard that the Hurd group wants to
> support.
> 
> shap
> 
> 
> 
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leonardolopespereira at gmail.com

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