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1994-04-13
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Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hookup!swrinde!emory!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!uhog.mit.edu!nntp.club.cc.cmu.edu!news.sei.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!vw.ece.cmu.edu!derekn
From: derekn@ece.cmu.edu (Derek B. Noonburg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.powerpc,comp.answers,news.answers
Subject: PowerPC Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Supersedes: <PowerPC_763693239@ece.cmu.edu>
Followup-To: comp.sys.powerpc
Date: 13 Apr 1994 20:05:59 GMT
Organization: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon
Lines: 850
Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
Message-ID: <PowerPC_766267547@ece.cmu.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: vw.ece.cmu.edu
Summary: This posting contains a list of frequently asked questions
about the PowerPC architecture and PowerPC-based computers.
Originator: derekn@vw.ece.cmu.edu
Xref: bloom-beacon.mit.edu comp.sys.powerpc:13777 comp.answers:4902 news.answers:18042
Archive-name: powerpc-faq
Last-modified 13-April-94
========================================================================
PowerPC FAQ
13 April 1994
========================================================================
The PowerPC FAQ is maintained by Derek Noonburg (derekn@ece.cmu.edu).
Please send me any and all additions, corrections, clarfications, and
suggestions.
Changes since last version (14-Mar-94):
- added: [2-3], [3-5]
- changed: [0-2], [1-3], [1-5], [1-6], [1-7], [2-1], [3-6], [5-1]
========================================================================
Index
========================================================================
[0] Introduction
[0-1] Where can a current copy of this FAQ be obtained?
[0-2] Can I convert this FAQ to a different format and/or
redistribute it?
[0-3] What newsgroups are appropriate for PowerPC discussions?
[0-4] What other FAQs contain PowerPC information?
[0-5] What other net sources (ftp, gopher, etc.) contain PowerPC
information?
[0-6] Contributors.
[1] Processor
[1-1] What is a PowerPC?
[1-2] How does PowerPC relate to POWER and POWER2?
[1-3] What processors have been announced? What are their specs?
When will they be available? How much will they cost?
[1-4] What embedded controllers will be available?
[1-5] How fast is a PowerPC?
[1-6] Is there special hardware for emulating 68k or x86
processors?
[1-7] Where can I get more information on the PowerPC?
[2] Hardware
[2-1] What PowerPC-based computers are/will be available? When will
they be available? How much will they cost?
[2-2] What is PReP and how can I get a copy?
[2-3] Can PowerPC 601-based computers be upgraded to, e.g., a 604
when they become available?
[3] Software
[3-1] What operating systems will run on PowerPC-based computers?
When will they be available?
[3-2] What is PowerOpen?
[3-3] What is Taligent / Pink?
[3-4] Will NextStep be ported to the PowerPC?
[3-5] Will OS/2 be available on PowerPC-based computers?
[3-6] Can IBM-PC / Macintosh software be run on PowerPC-based
computers?
[4] Comparisons
[4-1] Should I buy a PowerPC system rather than a Pentium or 68k
system?
[4-2] What will be the differences between the various
PowerPC-based personal computers?
[5] Misc
[5-1] What's the deal with Ford and the PowerPC?
========================================================================
[0] Introduction
========================================================================
[0-1] Where can a current copy of this FAQ be obtained?
This FAQ is posted monthly on comp.sys.powerpc, comp.answers, and
news.answers. It is also archived on the news.answers archives,
available for anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu as
pub/usenet/news.answers/powerpc-faq. For other archive sites, see the
"news.answers Introduction" post.
[0-2] Can I convert this FAQ to a different format and/or
redistribute it?
This FAQ may be redistributed as long as the following guidelines are
met:
(a) You notify me by email that you are redistributing the FAQ.
(b) The attribution notice ("The PowerPC FAQ is maintained by ...") is
left intact.
(c) The instructions for obtaining current copies of the FAQ (question
[0-1]) are left intact.
(d) You use the latest version of the FAQ you can get.
(e) Any modifications (other than formatting) that you make are
clearly marked as such.
If you convert the FAQ to a different format, please email me a copy.
If it is impossible to email it, contact me for other arrangements.
If you are redistributing the FAQ and would like to get an up-to-date
copy each month via email, let me know, and I will add you to my mailing
list.
[0-3] What newsgroups are appropriate for PowerPC discussions?
Comp.sys.powerpc is the primary newsgroup for PowerPC discussion.
From the charter: "comp.sys.powerpc (unmoderated) will be a newsgroup
which will provide a common forum to users and developers of products
based on the PowerPC architecture."
The comp.sys.mac.* groups are appropriate for discussions of
PowerPC-based Macintosh's.
[0-4] What other FAQs contain PowerPC information?
The Macintosh PowerPC FAQ contains information regarding PowerPC-based
Macs. This FAQ is posted to comp.sys.mac.hardware and news.answers,
among other places. It can also be obtained by fingering
sschecht@magnusug.acs.ohio-state.edu.
[0-5] What other net sources (ftp, gopher, etc.) contain PowerPC
information?
Apple's gopher server at info.hed.apple.com has press releases and
product descriptions available. PowerPC related information may be
found in:
Apple Corporate News/ [recent press releases]
Apple Technologies/PowerPC - white paper 6'93.
Product Information/PowerPC/
IBM's gopher server at ike.engr.washington.edu also has IBM press
releases and product information. PowerPC related information may be
found under:
IBM General News/
IBM Product Announcements/
IBM Detailed Product Announcements/
IBM Hardware Catalog/
(IBM's main gopher server is at top.gopher.ibm.com; the ike.engr site
can also be reached by selecting "IBM Kiosk for Education/" from the
top.gopher site.)
A list of companies and products supporting the Power Macintosh is
available via WWW as:
gopher://ocf.berkeley.edu/hh/gopherspace/Computer/Systems/
Macintosh/PowerMac_Products
or via gopher as:
Type=0
Name=List of Companies and their PowerPPC Mac product plans
Path=0/gopherspace/Computer/Systems/Macintosh/PowerMac_Products
Host=ocf.berkeley.edu
Port=70
This list is maintained by Alan Coopersmith (alanc@ocf.berkeley.edu).
The PowerOpen Association has a mail server. For information send
email to library@poweropen.org with the word "help" in the body.
PowerPC News is a Internet-based free magazine, publishing news for
both users and developers of PowerPC systems. To subscribe, send
email to add@power.globalnews.com (no subject or body necessary). A
table of contents will be sent to you for each issue; you can request
specific articles via a mail server.
There are two PowerPC roundtables on GEnie: PowerPC (PPC) on page 1435
and PowerPC programmers' on page 1440.
[0-6] Contributors.
The following people have contributed to this FAQ:
Alan Coopersmith (alanc@ocf.Berkeley.EDU)
Alex Lewin (a.lewin@poweropen.org)
Stuart Schechter (mac_ppc_faq@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu), who
maintains the Macintosh PowerPC FAQ.
Robert Sprick (asrs@acad2.alaska.edu)
Yoshio Turner (yoshio@CS.UCLA.EDU)
(zdenek@poa.poweropen.org)
========================================================================
[1] Processor
========================================================================
[1-1] What is a PowerPC?
A PowerPC is a microprocessor designed to meet a standard which was
jointly designed by Motorola, IBM, and Apple. The PowerPC standard
specifies a common instruction set architecture (ISA), allowing anyone
to design and fabricate PowerPC processors, which will run the same
code. The PowerPC architecture is based on the IBM POWER
architecture, used in IBM's RS/6000 workstations. Currently IBM and
chips.
The PowerPC standard specifies both 32-bit and 64-bit data paths.
Early implementations will be 32-bit; future higher-performance
implementations will be 64-bit. A PowerPC has 32 integer registers
(32- or 64-bit) and 32 floating point (IEEE standard 64-bit) floating
point registers.
NB: A PowerPC is not a computer, any more than an 80486 is a computer.
[1-2] How does PowerPC relate to POWER and POWER2?
As mentioned above, PowerPC is a direct descendant of POWER. POWER2
is also a descendant of POWER, developed by IBM for use in their
workstations and other systems. POWER2 was released at roughly the
same time as the first PowerPC chip. POWER2 is an eight-chip
multi-chip module (MCM) (four of these chips are cache) and is
substantially faster than PowerPC, as well as substantially more
expensive.
[1-3] What processors have been announced? What are their specs? When
will they be available?
PowerPC 601: The very first PowerPC. It was designed as bridge
between the POWER architecture and the PowerPC architecture. For this
reason, it incorporates the user-level POWER instructions which were
eliminated from the PowerPC specification.
PowerPC 603: A low-power processor, intended for portable applications,
e.g., notebook computers. Performance is roughly comparable to the
601 (see below for benchmarks).
PowerPC 604: A higher-performance processor, intended for high-end
desktop systems.
PowerPC 620: An even higher-performance processor, aimed at high-end
systems and multiprocessors. The 620 is the first 64-bit PowerPC
implementation.
The 601 is manufactured by IBM and sold by both IBM and Motorola. The
603 will be manufactured by both IBM and Motorola.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Processor Clk(MHz) Power(W) Price(US$)
------------ -------- -------- ----------
MPC601(0.5u) 50 5.6 232
60
66 7 298
80 8 417
MPC601(0.6u) 100 4
MPC603 66 2.5
80 3
MPC604
MPC620
Data Bus Func units Si Ship
Proc width width (I/FP/BP/LS) Cache Trans Process date date
------ ----- ----- ------------ ----- ----- ---------- ------ --------
MPC601 32 64 1/1/1/0 32U 2.8 0.6u CMOS Oct92 Apr 93
MPC601 32 64 1/1/1/0 32U 2.8 0.5u CMOS 2Q 94 4Q 94
MPC603 32 32/64 1/1/1/1 8I/8D 1.6 0.5u CMOS Oct93 3Q 94
MPC604 32 1Q 94? mid 94?
MPC620 64 late 94?
Notes:
* Data width: integer register/datapath and address width, in bits
* Bus width: external data bus width, in bits
* Functional units: I = integer unit
FP = floating point unit
BP = branch processing unit
LS = load/store unit
* Cache: On-chip cache in kilobytes - I(nstruction), D(ata), U(nified)
* Price: in US dollars, for large quantities
* Trans: number of transistors, in millions
* Si date: first silicon date
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[1-4] What embedded controllers will be available?
IBM has announced the PowerPC 4xx embedded controller family. These
will be available as general purpose microcontrollers,
application-specific processors, and ASIC cores. The 4xx family will
integrate caches and other system-level logic to facilitate simpler and
cheaper designs. Performance or cost information is not yet available.
[1-5] How fast is a PowerPC?
This table lists SPEC results for PowerPC machines, as well as a few
others, for comparison purposes. (SPEC is a benchmark suite designed to
test system performance. The SPECint portion uses integer-only code,
e.g., compilers; the SPECfp program uses floating point code, e.g.,
circuit simulation.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- SPEC92 --
Processor Clock int fp Cache System
--------- ------- ----- ----- --------- -------------------
MPC601(0.6u) 66 MHz 62.6 72.2 0/32k IBM RS/6000 250
66 MHz 75 91 1M/32k Motorola estimate
80 MHz 77 93 0/32k Motorola estimate
80 MHz 85 105 1M/32k Motorola estimate
MPC601(0.5u) 100 MHz 105 125 ?/32k ? estimate
MPC603 66 MHz 60 70 1M/8k/8k Motorola estimate
80 MHz 75 85 1M/8k/8k Motorola estimate
MPC604
MPC620
i486DX2 66 MHz 32.2 16.0 256k/8k Compaq Deskpro
i486DX4 100 MHz 51.4 26.6 256k/16k Micronics M4P PCI
Pentium 66 MHz 65.1 63.6 256k/8k/8k Compaq Systempro/XL
Pentium 90 MHz 90.1 72.7 512k/8k/8k Intel XPRESS
Pentium 100 MHz 100.0 80.6 512k/8k/8k Intel XPRESS
{ I'd like to list a couple of high end 68040 Macs here, but I can't }
{ find SPEC numbers. If anyone has them, please let me know. }
Notes:
* Cache numbers are in kB or MB: format is external/instruction/data or
external/unified.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
More information on the SPEC benchmark, including numbers for other
systems, is available in the newsgroup comp.benchmarks.
[1-6] Is there special hardware for emulating 68k or x86
processors?
All currently announced emulators are purely software. There are no
PowerPC processors with special hardware for translating instructions
from other processor families. In addition, because software
emulation has been reasonably successful, it seems very unlikely that
there will ever be hardware of this type.
A rumor has surfaced, claiming that IBM is working on the "615", a
PowerPC processor which will allegedly include Intel x86 emulation
hardware. IBM has denied that this project exists. Again, it seems
unlikely, given the work being put into software emulators.
[1-7] Where can I get more information on the PowerPC?
-- Manuals, databooks, etc.
Motorola publishes several brochures and manuals (free unless prices is
specified):
PowerPC Brochure (BR1135/D)
PowerPC 601 RISC Microprocessor Technical Summary (MPC601/D)
PowerPC 601 Hardware Specification (MPC601EC/D)
PowerPC Software Overview (compilers, assemblers, simulators,
loaders & debuggers) (SDP/D)
PowerPC C Compiler System, Product Review (CCOMPSTM/D)
PowerPC Fortran compilation System, Product Review
(FTRANCOMPSTM/D)
PowerPC Architectural Simulator, Product Review (PPCARCH32/D)
PowerPC 601 Programmer's Reference Guide (MPC601PRG/D)
(I've heard reports that this is no longer available.)
PowerPC 601, User's Manual (MPC601UM/AD) -- $6.50
PowerPC Development Tools Catalog (MPCTOOLBK/AD) -- $4.50
PowerPC 603 RISC Microprocessor Technical Summary (MPC603/D)
All are available from Motorola's Literature Distribution Centers:
USA: Motorola Literature Distribution
P.O. Box 20912
Phoenix, AZ, 85036
1-800-441-2447
Europe: Motorola Ltd.
European Literature Center
88 Tanners Drive
Blakelands, Milton Keynes, MK14 5BP, England
Japan: Nippon Motorola Ltd.
4-32-1, Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku
Tokyo 141 Japan
Asia-Pacific: Motorola Semiconductors H.K. Ltd.
Silicon Harbour Center
No. 2 Dai King Street
Tai Po Industrial Estate
Tai Po, N.T., Hong Kong
PowerPC manuals and databooks are also available from IBM:
1-800-POWERPC
A PowerMac-specific manual, from APDA:
Programmer's Introduction to RISC and PowerPC (R0172LL/A) -- $150
-- Books
Jeff Duntemann and Ron Pronk, _Inside the PowerPC Revolution_; Coriolis
Group Books; April 30, 1994; ISBN 1-883577-04-7.
IBM, _IBM RISC System/6000 Technology_.
[ and the POWER-based RS/6000
workstations.]
IBM, _IBM RISC System/6000 Technology: Volume II_; to be published in
1994; partial draft available via anonymous ftp:
ibminet.awdpa.ibm.com/pub/rs6kpapers/techbook.ps.
[Describes the PowerPC and POWER2 architectures and the workstations
based on these processors, including I/O, graphics, and system
software.]
IBM, _The IBM PowerPC Architecture, A New Family of RISC Processors_;
Morgan Kaufmann Publishers; Dec. 1993; ISBN 1-55860-316-6; $49.95.
(publication date delayed to May, 1994?)
["This book presents an overview of the current and forthcoming
PowerPC processor implementations in the PowerPC family of RISC
microprocessors from IBM and Motorola."] [This is also available
directly from IBM.]
Shlomo Weiss and James E Smith, _IBM Power and PowerPC: Architecture and
Implementation_; Morgan Kaufmann Publishers; Nov. 1993; ISBN
1-55860-279-8; $54.95. (publication date delayed to May, 1994?)
["Writtten from the perspective of developers and teachers of high
performance computing, this book provides a wealth of information
about IBM's important contributions to the development and evolution
of RISC technology."]
-- Papers, articles, etc.
Michael S. Allen, Michael C. Becker, "Multiprocessing Aspects of the
PowerPC 601 Microprocessor", Proc. COMPCON 1993, 117-126.
Michael C. Becker et al., "The PowerPC 601 Microprocessor", IEEE Micro,
Oct. 1993, 54-68.
Linley Gwennap, "Prep Standardizes PowerPC Systems", Microprocessor
Report, Dec. 27, 1993.
Charles R. Moore, "The PowerPC 601 Microprocessor", Proc. COMPCON 1993,
109-116.
E. Silha, G. Paap, "PowerPC: A Performance Architecture", Proc. COMPCON
1993, 104-108.
Michael Slater, "Motorola and IBM Unveil PowerPC 603", Microprocessor
Report, Oct. 25, 1993.
========================================================================
[2] Hardware
========================================================================
[2-1] What PowerPC-based computers are/will be available? When will
they be available? How much will they cost?
-- Workstations
IBM's POWERStation 250 is based on a 66 MHz 601. Like the rest of the
RS/6000 family, it runs AIX (IBM's UNIX). The 250 is completely
compatible with the POWER-based RS/6000 line, and will run all RS/6000
software. Prices range from $5445 to $9395, depending on configuration.
They started shipping Oct., 1993.
IBM's RS/6000 N40 notebook workstation is based on a 50 MHz 601. It
comes with a color display, a 340 MB removable disk, and 16 MB of RAM.
They will be available on March 25, 1994 at a price of $11995.
Groupe Bull has announced three 66 Mhz 601 workstations, running BOS/X
(an AIX-compatible UNIX) Prices start at $5445.
-- Personal computers: IBM
IBM has announced a line of PCs -- three models have been demonstrated:
a desktop system, a laptop, and a 'green' machine. These systems will
include both PCI and ISA slots. They will be shipped with WorkplaceOS,
but several other OS's will run natively (when available): Solaris,
Windows NT, Personal AIX, AIX, and Taligent. No prices have been
announced, but they will likely be comparable to Pentium systems. They
will ship sometime in the second half on 1994.
Given that IBM is planning to release the PReP standard (see below),
compatible PCs will undoubtedly become available. As far as I know, no
formal announcements have been made, however.
-- Personal computers: Apple
Three Apple Power Macintosh models were released on March 14, 1994.
These run System 7, just like the 68k Macs. Most of the ROM code has
been ported and will run natively. They also come with an emulator
which will allow them to run 68k Mac applications.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
model proc clock L2 cache RAM slots base price
------- ---- ------ -------- -------- ---------- --------------
6100/60 601 60 MHz optional 8-72 MB 1 7" NuBus $2000 (approx)
7100/66 601 66 MHz optional 8-136 MB 3 NuBus $3000 (approx)
8100/80 601 80 MHz 256 kB 8-264 MB 3 NuBus $4000 (approx)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Configurations are available with different RAM and hard disk sizes.
Some configurations are bundled with a CD ROM drive or SoftWindows.
Two types of upgrade from 68k Macs to the 601 are available: a
replacement logic board at 60, 66, or 80 MHz (prices range from
approximately $1500 to $2000) and a PDS board at double the clock
speed of the original 68040 (for around $600).
Portable PowerPC Mac's are expected in late 1994 or early 1995.
For more information on the PowerPC Macs, see the "Macintosh PowerPC
FAQ".
-- Personal computers: other
Canon has announced that it will work with IBM on the PReP
specification. In particular, they plan to work on extensions to PReP
for PDA's and office products.
-- Other systems
Cetia (a subsidiary of Thompson-CSF) is selling VME single board
computers using 50-66 MHz 601's. Available OS's are UNI/XT (AIX) and
UNI/RT5 (LynxOS). The 50 MHz version sells for around $13000.
The Motorola Computer Group is planning to release a family of VME
boards sometime in 1994.
The Taiwan New PC Consortium, formed by Tatung, Mitac, DTK, Umax, and
Taiwan Auto Design, has signed on to the PowerPC bandwagon, but it is
not clear yet what they will be doing with the chips.
Parsytec has announced that it will be combining PowerPC processors and
Transputer communication processors in its multiprocessor systems.
These include:
- the MPP supercomputer series GC/PowerPlus (32-1024 601's, 2.5-80
GFLOPS)
- the desktop MPP series PowerXplorer (4-64 601's, 5 GFLOPS peak, under
$70,000 per GFLOPS)
- the modular real-time product series MC-3
For more information, contact
Carsten Rietbrock
Parsytec GmbH
Product Marketing
Juelicherstrasse 338
52070 Aachen GERMANY
Tel.: +49-241-166000; Fax: +49-241-16600-50
[2-2] What is PReP and how can I get a copy?
The PowerPC Reference Platform (PReP) is a system standard, designed
by IBM, intended to ensure compatibility among PowerPC-based systems
built by different companies. The PReP standard specifies the PCI
bus, but will also support ISA, MicroChannel, and PCMCIA. The alpha
version of the document is currently available to "qualified companies
or individuals"; contact a Motorola SPS or IBM Microelectronics sales
office.
According to IBM, PReP-compliant systems will be able to run
WorkplaceOS, AIX, Solaris, Taligent, and Windows NT. IBM systems will
(of course) be PReP-compliant. Apple's first PowerPC Mac's will not
be compliant, but future Mac's may be.
The current alpha version of PReP was released in November, 1993. The
beta version is due on March 15, 1994.
To obtain a copy of PReP specification (freely available to all
requesters), contact:
John Terwilliger
FAX: 512-838-8857
email: johntt@ausvm6.vnet.ibm.com
Include the following information:
Name
Company, Division (if appropriate)
Address
Telephone number
Fax number
Internet address, if any
Type of business
Alternate contact
Alternate telephone number
Reason for request
Indicate you learned about this method via the comp.sys.powerpc
newsgroup
[2-3] Can PowerPC 601-based computers be upgraded to, e.g., a 604
when they become available?
The currently available 601-based systems (IBM RS/6000-250, Apple
PowerMac) are apparently not upgradeable. According to rumors, the the
processors in some future PowerMacs may be on a replacable
daughterboard.
========================================================================
[3] Software
========================================================================
[3-1] What operating systems will run on PowerPC-based computers?
When will they be available?
-- UNIX
Several flavors of UNIX have been (or will be) ported to the PowerPC.
IBM's AIX has been available since October 1993. There will also be a
version called Personal AIX, which will come without certain utilities
and development tools, for IBM's PC's.
Applhe PowerPC.
Solaris has been ported to the PowerPC. Ports of NextStep and Novell
UnixWare are rumored to be underway.
-- System 7
PowerPC Macintosh's will ship with System 7, just like 68k Mac's. Much
of the Toolbox (system code in ROM) has been ported to the PowerPC; the
remainder will be emulated. Apple analyzed existing code to determine
the most frequently used Toolbox routines, and ported those first.
Eventually, all of the code will run natively.
Apple has begun licensing its Toolbox to other computer manufacturers.
The first use of this is in MAS, which allows PowerOpen-compliant OS's
to run Mac applications (see the section on emulators below).
-- Windows
Windows NT has been ported to the PowerPC. The expected release date is
sometime in mid-1994.
-- WorkplaceOS
IBM's personal systems will ship with WorkplaceOS (which can be
considered a replacement for OS/2). WPOS is built on a microkernel,
which is based on Mach 3.0. Various "personalities" will sit on top of
this microkernel, and emulate various environments: OS/2, AIX, Solaris,
DOS, Windows 3.x, and possibly Macintosh. 32-bit OS/2 applications will
be able to run natively after recompiling. DOS and Windows applications
will be supported via an emulator.
-- Others
Taligent (see "What is Taligent" below).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
name company base OS GUI avail
---- ------- ------------ ------- ------
AIX 3.x IBM UNIX SysVR3 X+Motif Oct 93
A/UX Apple UNIX SysVR2 X? ?
NextStep Next Mach2 + BSD4.3 custom mid 94
Solaris 2.x SunSoft SysVR4 X+Motif ?
System 7 Apple custom custom 1H 94
Windows NT Microsoft custom custom mid 94
WorkplaceOS IBM Mach3 + custom custom 2H 94
Taligent Taligent custom custom? 95
UnixWare Novell SysVR4 X+Motif ?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[3-2] What is PowerOpen?
The PowerOpen Association defines and promotes the PowerOpen
Environment (POE). The POE is not an operating system, it is a
definition containing an API specification as well as an ABI
specification. The presence of the ABI specification in the POE is a
factor distinguishing PowerOpen from other open systems (POSIX, XPG4,
etc.) since it allows achieving platform independent binary
compatibility. Outside of the POE, binary compatibility is typically
limited to a particular hardware platform.
The POE is an open standard, derived from AIX and conforming to
industry open standards including POSIX, XPG4, Motif, etc. The POE
specification will be publicly available to anyone wishing to produce
either applications or hardware platforms. The PowerOpen Association
will provide the necessary conformance testing and POE branding.
The key features of the POE follow:
* Based on the PowerPC architecture
* Hardware bus independence
* System implementations can range from laptops to supercomputers
* Requires a multi-user, multi-tasking operating system
* Networking support
* X windows extension
* Macintosh Application Services extension
* Motif
* Conformance tested and certified by an independent party
(PowerOpen Association)
The POE specification is targeted for availability in the first
quarter of 1994. The PowerOpen association has some information
available online, including membership information; for retrieval
instructions, send mail containing the word "help" to:
library@poweropen.org
(Thanks to Alex Lewin for the above material.)
NB: PowerOpen is not itself an operating system -- it is only a
*standard*.
The PowerOpen Association, consists of IBM, Motorola, Apple, Bull,
Thomson-CSF, Harris, TadPole Technology, and others.
The next major version of AIX (version 4.x) will be PowerOpen-compliant.
Future versions of A/UX may also be compliant.
[3-3] What is Taligent / Pink?
Taligent is a company founded jointly by Apple and IBM in March 1992.
HP announced in January, 1994 that it would buy a 15% stake in Taligent.
They are working on an "object-oriented operating system", due to be
finished sometime in 1995. However, various independent pieces of
Taligent will likely appear to be used with other operating systems,
e.g., IBM's WorkplaceOS.
Pink is an older name for Taligent, dating back to work that Apple did
before the formation of Taligent.
[3-4] Will NextStep be ported to the PowerPC?
NextStep has been ported to the RS/6000 (POWER architecture), but is not
commercially available. According to rumors, NextStep has been seen
running on PowerPC machines. No official announcement has been made by
Next as to availability.
Sun has announced that it will incorporate OpenStep, a version of
NextStep, in Solaris. Solaris has been demoed on PowerPC machines, so
it is likely that OpenStep will also be available.
[3-5] Will OS/2 be available on PowerPC-based computers?
Judging by IBM's press releases, it looks like OS/2 will not be
available. However, WorkplaceOS (see above) will be similar to OS/2
in many ways, and will be able to run OS/2 software.
[3-6] Can IBM-PC / Macintosh software be run on PowerPC-based
computers?
Several emulators have been announced. Generally, these are intended to
run Macintosh or MS-DOS/Windows applications under the various native
operating systems.
-- Macintosh
Macintosh Application Services (MAS), supported by Apple, allows
PowerOpen-compliant OS's to run Mac applications. MAS includes a 68040
emulator and a PowerPC port of the Mac toolbox. This has been
demonstrated on IBM's PowerPC personal systems. Apple has announced
that they will be cooperating with Sun and HP to work on the Macintosh
Application Environment (MAE) which will allow Mac applications to run
under Solaris and HP's UNIX. [MAE may be a newer name for MAS -- anyone
with info, please email me.]
Executor, produced by ARDI, is currently available for NextStep and
NextStep/Intel, and will soon be available for MS-DOS, and Sun and Alpha
workstations. Executor emulates a 68040-based monochrome Macintosh
running System 6. Version 2.0 is supposed to offer 8-bit color and some
System 7 features. ARDI uses reverse-engineered Toolbox code, i.e., it
was written from scratch from the interface specs. For this reason, it
it easily portable -- expect to see it ported to other platforms
(including the PowerPC) in the near future.
PowerPC-based Macintosh's will have the built-in capability to run 68k
Mac software. The 68k application code will be emulated (it emulates a
68EC040, with no FPU), but most of the system code has been ported.
-- MS-DOS/Windows
Wabi, produced by Sun, runs under UNIX/X. It emulates x86 code, and
translates Windows calls to X calls. IBM is working on an 80386
translator. Support has been announced for Solaris and AIX. Wabi is
based on the public specs for the Windows ABI. (Wabi originally stood
for "Windows Application Binary Interface" -- it's spelled "Wabi", not
"WABI", for trademark reasons.) This has been demonstrated on IBM's
PowerPC personal systems.
SoftPC and SoftWindows, produced by Insignia, runs under several OS's:
Mac, Windows NT, NextStep, and various other UNIX flavors. It emulates
80286/80287 code and Windows calls. Insignia has licensed the Windows
source code from Microsoft.
WorkplaceOS will support MS-DOS and Windows personalities -- see the
description of WPOS, above.
========================================================================
[4] Comparisons
========================================================================
[4-1] Should I buy a PowerPC system rather than a Pentium or 68k
system?
Apple is committed to making their PowerPC Macintosh's feel just like
the 68k Mac's, but faster. It looks like they will eventually switch
the entire Mac line over to the PowerPC. If you plan to buy a new Mac,
this is probably the way to go.
A Pentium system will run existing x86 code faster than a 601 will
x86 code as fast as possible, buy a
Pentium box.
On the other hand, many x86 applications will probably be ported to
the PowerPC. The extent of this porting will likely determine the
success of the PowerPC in the personal computer market.
Because the only currently available PowerPC system (the IBM RS/6000
250) has no level 2 cache, whereas most of the current Pentium systems
do have a level 2 cache, a completely fair comparison between the two
is not possible. However, one may note that the simpler 601-based
system achieves approximately the same performance as the more complex
Pentium system (judging by the SPEC table above). Future
PowerPC-based systems will presumably be faster (and this is backed up
by Motorola estimates, also in the table).
This does not mean that Intel and the Intel-based PC manufacturers are
standing still. Only the future will tell whose chips and whose
systems will be the fastest.
[4-2] What will be the differences between the various
PowerPC-based personal computers?
It looks like there will be two major types of PowerPC-based personal
computers (note, this is not counting workstations): the Apple Macintosh
line, and PReP-compliant machines. The basic hardware will not be
fundamentally different -- the real difference will be in the supported
operating systems for each class.
It is still unclear whether Apple is going to produce Macs which will
conform to the PReP standard, and whether the Mac OS will run on PReP
machines. The potential exists for a standard which would allow any
PowerPC-based machine to run any PowerPC operating system; whether this
will happen remains to be seen.
========================================================================
[5] Misc
========================================================================
[5-1] What's the deal with Ford and the PowerPC?
Ford and Motorola have signed an agreement resulting in a custom
PowerPC to be used by Ford as a powertrain controller. Details on this
chip are not available.