Re: [Qemu-devel] transitive was: Port to IRIX host

[Ian Rogers]

Sorry to spam, thought this would be of interest to a few people.
From Silicon Insider:

> Transitive Corporation, the company that makes the binary 
> software-translation technology covered here earlier (see Silicon 
> Insider #03, June-03 
> <http://silicon-insider.com/si/Issue%2003/Issue%2003.htm> and Silicon 
> Insider #18, Sept-04 
> <http://silicon-insider.com/si/Issue18/Issue18.htm>) has struck a deal 
> with Silicon Graphics to distribute its software with SGI 
> workstations. Under the agreement, SGI will load Transitive's 
> QuickTransit software onto its Prism workstations.
>
> SGI's Prism boxes are based on Intel's Itanium processor, rather than 
> the MIPS processors that SGI has historically used. (Indeed, SGI owned 
> MIPS Technologies before spinning it off as an independent concern.) 
> With the MIPS architecture having nearly vanished from the computer 
> and workstation businesses for which it was designed, SGI needed a way 
> to convert its customers' software to the new systems. Enter Transitive.
>
> The SGI deal gives Prism customers a 30-day "free trial" of 
> Transitive's translation software. After that, they must purchase a 
> QuickTransit license from SGI. Since QuickTransit does not permanently 
> convert software, but instead translates code each time it's used, 
> users can't cheat by furiously converting all their software in the 
> first 30 days. Those who need to run older MIPS-based code on their 
> new Intel-based Prism will have to buy QuickTransit or buy new software.
>
> SGI is a perfect example of a company with a large installed base 
> using the "wrong" processor. Sun Microsystems has (almost) never 
> changed processors so it doesn't have this problem -- yet. Sun's SPARC 
> chips are running out of steam, however, and the company seems 
> increasingly likely to relent and use Intel chips -- at which point it 
> may need QuickTransit as well. Hewlett-Packard also has a chequered 
> past with several different processors (PA-RISC, Alpha, MIPS, etc.) so 
> it may also knock on Transitive's door before long.

I imagine Jim Turley is unaware of Dynamo or Walkabout projects from HP 
and Sun respectively. I also think SPARC has plenty of life as a chip 
multiprocessor, ...

Ian

Anand Kumria wrote:

> On Mon, 11 Oct 2004 14:55:28 +0100, Ian Rogers wrote:
>
>  
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > are there any plans for a MIPS target? I've just been reading:
> >
> > http://www.sgi.com/company_info/newsroom/press_releases/2004/october/linux_vis.html
> >
> >    
>
> Interesting. Looks like Transitive may have a difficult time ahead of them
> once qemu hits 1.0 - btw, are there any specific things in mind for 1.0?
>
> I've looked at the TODO a lot of the items on the list seem to be rather
> specialised -- it isn't immediately obvious, for example, why a cycle
> counter would be a useful things to have.
>
> Cheers,
> Anand
>
>