Each hardware platform, or CPU family, has a unique machine language. All software presented to the computer for execution must be in the binary coded machine language of that CPU. Following is a list of the major hardware platforms in existence today. See platform.
CISC chips
Platform Developed by and usage
x86 Intel, AMD, Cyrix (all PCs)
IA-64 Intel
68K Motorola, mostly earlier Macintoshes
VAX Digital's mini series, VMS OS
S/370 IBM mainframes
S/390 IBM mainframes
AS/400 IBM midrange, formerly System/38
S/36 old IBM mini, System/36
Tandem fault tolerant systems, Non-Stop
Unisys Unisys mainframes
PDP/11 Digital's 1st mini
RISC chips
Platform Developed by and usage
88000 Motorola, DG, Encore
MIPS SGI, Pyramid, Tandem, NEC, Siemens
SPARC Sun and SPARC-licensed clones
PA-RISC HP workstations, servers
Alpha HP servers (originally from DEC)
PowerPC Apple, IBM, Motorola
i860 Intel, Stratus systems
ARM Arm, Ltd., embedded systems, NCs
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Microsoft isn't the only one developing a hardware-accelerated browser
- It is a dumb idea.WAIT! Firefox and Chrome teams are looking to do the same?What a brilliant idea!I smell a large scale patent war brewingThis will be one that catches everybody's attention, not just the people who work in the industry.I'd bet that Office goes hardware-rendered, tooI'd bet that Office...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-24
- HP vs. Dell: Showdown at the Windows 7 upgrade corral
- Well, the great thing is all the competition. I like to see Acer squeezing them both from below, and of course competing with each other. Of course also great to see all the pressure on MS to innovate and lower prices.Google Chrome_OS will be hard to beatWell, with Google_Chrome_OS it...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-24
- Is Apple being too precious about the App Store?
- If by precious you mean fascistthen yes they are...great...Get ready for the Jobs cultist starting another holywar because you "tarnished" their cyber-religion.Precious.The marketplace is what it is because of ownership. Apple owns the store they built and has the identical right that Disney or The Atlantic or Toyota does to...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-23
- Schiller: App Store isn't broken
- The truth hurtsThe truth is consumer lacks the ability to make good decision regarding the security of their data. We are regularly tricked into click-installing things while surfing the web, download trojans and other malware, give out information over the phone that we shouldn't etc ... and we never...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-23
- Do we need a 'beautiful mess' in operating systems? Yup
- To make a good soup, you've got to stir the pot...Ok, sure - it turns cloudy, short-term. Just be sure to filter it or let it settle, before serving.Whereas the classic 'design-by-committee' model so often fails, its always useful to have multiple, talented teams working on similar projects, independently. With...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-19
- AMD turbo boosts Flash Player 10.1 with ATI Stream technology
- AMD seems to be the more viable choice nowThey certainly have improved their offerings over Intel and NVIDIA, which both seem to be up in the air at the moment. Intel isn't focused on offering good mainstream performance for the dollar - they're only working on Atom and the...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-17
- Is imminent Chrome OS launch reckless?
- First Impressions"first impressions are extremely important."Yup, Vista SP1/SP2 is a good operating system. Microsoft botched the initial release of Vista, and it gave a good operating system a permanently bad name.reckless not sure dangerous surely i may sound stupid or ill inform but ...What will be Chrome...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-14
- Android army keeps growing as Dell enlists; Will the mobile OS war follow PC history?
- Well, this is exactly what MS wanted to do with Win Mobile - that fizzled.I think that was mostly due to that fact that Win Mobile was is so bad.But, Android is the real thing, and is a great OS, to the point that nobody is even talking about Win...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-13
- Google: Firms can get rid of Office in a year
- In other words, Google Appsare still at that 1 to 2 percent mark.Good Riddance!It won't be missed.Man, so true, MS Office is a big hairball of baroque features to format for8.5x11. MS Office will be on a downward slide from here on out.In terms of what is need for the...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-13
- Friday Challenge: What's your take on OS/browser market share trends?
- Firefox is taking over...With Firefox the days of vendor lock-in withIE required are over, like banking sites theyare cross-platform as they should be.I use CentOS/Fedora/RHEL and use I am able todo all of my job functions and use any applicationI want without the fear of security holes andthreats from a...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-13
- TrueUpdate 3.5.3 (Windows)
- TrueUpdate is a comprehensive solution for software developers, network administrators, and IT departments to integrate automated update capabilities into their applications and business processes. TrueUpdate provides a robust client/server framework for determining required updates, retrieving and applying the necessary patch or installation files using Internet or LAN protocols. By using...
- Software downloads 2009-11-10
- LiMo has a second phone
- Web appsWeb apps, based on HTML5, SVG, WebGL, etc., really need to be given some priority in the industry. Otherwise, app developers will go crazy trying to develop & support local apps, for all of the different mobile OS platforms out there.RE: LiMo has a second phoneI adore Linux and...
- Discussion threads 2009-11-04
- DAVE 8.0 (Mac)
- Professional cross-platform file and printer sharing solution. DAVE is the first and only cross-platform networking solution of its kind. DAVE uses the fast, industry standard TCP/IP protocol instead of AppleTalk and is designed specifically for the Apple Macintosh. It is installed on the Macintosh and no additional hardware or software...
- Software downloads 2009-11-03
- Wii sales take a 43% tumble ... why?
- Can no longer competeNintendo has dug itself in a hole this time it probably can't get out of. If they have a hardware update to improve graphics to the level of the 360 or PS3 they will not be able to compete on price which was their main selling...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-30
- Why Android is beating Windows Mobile
- So, the analysts have it wrong.because they do not agree with your assesment, but they have it correct when they do?That seems quite selective, but then again, it could be true. That is why when I see anaylyst that believe that Android (for as good as an operating system that...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-26
- MSFT versus GOOG - there's a big gap
- Countering Google[i]At the current rate of Google?s revenue growth, 7 per cent, it would take it more than 3 years to reach Microsoft?s current quarterly revenue.[/i]The above is true if you assume MS will have no growth over the next 3 years. I don't think that will be the case....
- Discussion threads 2009-10-23
- News to know: Windows 7, Net Neutrality, Nokia-Apple; Kindle
- Here are today's notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET's around-the-Web tech coverage. Windows 7 Coverage Andrew Nusca: Liveblog: Microsoft CEO Ballmer kicks off Windows 7 availability Adrian Kingsley-Hughes:...
- Blog posts 2009-10-23
- Nook Clarified: Really solid progress for e-readers
- Reading PDF FilesThe Nook supports PDF files, downloaded from a PC via the USB connection. Will the PDF files be zoomable? The answer to that could enhance or limit the Nook's usefulness.RE: "Access to the titles we buy"That's one reason why I'm leaning toward the Nook. I have a number...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-22
- Windows 7 in action: a closer look at Windows XP Mode
- Now that's coolSo XP apps can be run directly on the desktop? Now that's cool :).How is this different than Virtual PC?Ed, I have XP running under MS Virtual PC 2007 on my Vista Business x64 machine. How is this different? I know that I had to supply...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-19
- Best 'bang for the buck' graphics cards
- No Love for NVIDIA?I'm a little disappointed you only mention one GeForce card as if they can't compete with ATI. I'm sensing either sponsorship or bias, Adrian... but if it's genuinely based on performance, I'd love to see some benchmarking and justification for the claim.They just killed off......half the cards...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-16
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