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Subject: Re: Expected hardware at WCCC99

Author: Charles Milton Ling

Date: 19:37:46 06/13/99

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On June 13, 1999 at 20:04:52, William Bryant wrote:

>On June 13, 1999 at 18:48:55, James Swafford wrote:
>
>>On June 13, 1999 at 16:14:00, Robert Hyatt wrote:
>>
>>>On June 13, 1999 at 15:18:29, Ernst Walet wrote:
>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>actually it is... but it is called the PII/xeon, although I bet that
>>>>>fritz/junior are on PIII/xeon's instead, which are better once compilers
>>>>>start using all the new instructions..
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Actually it isn't.  Ok ok, the core is, but the level 2 cache isn't in speed and
>>>>can be larger in size.  So to mention it in the line of the Pii used by Fritz
>>>>and Junior is not completely punctual.
>>>
>>>
>>>Blame the brain-dead people at Intel that name the things.  I have four
>>>of 'em in my box and on each module they say "Intel Pentium II Xeon".  And
>>>I have tested on a box that said "Intel Pentium III Xeon".  The "xeon" is the
>>>trigger to know that the L2 cache is at core cpu speed.  Without that word,
>>>you get a L2 cache at 1/2 core speed and only in 512K, while the xeon can be
>>>had in 512K, 1024K and 2048K L2 sizes...
>>>
>>>But Intel has always had trouble naming processors.  IE 486/33 with a 33mhz
>>>bus speed, 486/66 DX2, running internally at 2x the bus speed, and then the
>>>486/100 DX4 running at _3X_ the bus speed.  :)
>>>
>>>where the "DX" was their 'clock multiplier' nomenclature...
>>
>>
>>Since we're talking about naming conventions... I've long wondered
>>what sense it made to name a chip "Pentium II" or "Pentium III."
>>
>>Think about it.  The prefix 'pent' means 5, as in 80586.
>>
>>Probably just a marketing tool...
>
>I may be somewhat off, but the change from 386, 486, 586 etc. to pentium was for
>trademark reasons.  You can't trademark a number.  You can't trademark 80586,
>but you can trademark the name 'Pentium'.
>
>To follow this to its natural conclusion, would you call the 686 a Sexium?
>A 786 a Septium?
>
>William
>wbryant@ix.netcom.com

To be etymologically correct, you would have to use the Greek prefixes, giving
you the less-than-lovely-sounding "Hexium" and "Heptium".
Charley



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