On Dec 13,  2:31am, der Mouse wrote:
}
} > Attention, all FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD developers..
} 
} > This is a chance we cannot ignore..  [...DIG64...guidelines [to]
} > establish basic system building blocks, interfaces, and programming
} > conventions for upcoming IA-64 based servers and their system-level
} > software...]
} 
} What the heck is IA-64, and why should we care about it?

     It's Intel's new 64 bit processor intended to replace the ix86
line.  The current codename for it is "Itanium".  There seems to be an
assumption that it will be extremely popular.  I haven't seen any basis
for this assumption other then the fact that is made by Intel.  This
processor is not supposed to be compatible with the ix86 line.

     On the other side of the fence, AMD is coming out with its own 64
bit processor which is supposed to be ix86 compatible.  Given that AMD
is currently (and has been at various points in the past) the ix86
performance leader by a fairly wide margin, it appears that a big fight
is brewing.

}-- End of excerpt from der Mouse