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From: griest-tom@cs.yale.edu (Tom Griest)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: GNAT & Windows NT
Date: 8 Feb 1995 19:25:33 -0500
Organization: Yale University Computer Science Dept., New Haven, CT 06520-2158
Message-ID: <3hbndtINNfqb@RA.DEPT.CS.YALE.EDU>
References: <3h7vo0$19m@news.cais.com> <3haioj$dke@gnat.cs.nyu.edu>
 <3hbds1$pav@cronkite.seas.gwu.edu>
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Date: 1995-02-08T19:25:33-05:00
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In article <3hbds1$pav@cronkite.seas.gwu.edu> dobrien@seas.gwu.edu (David O'Brien) writes:
>Robert Dewar (dewar@cs.nyu.edu) wrote:
>: "They rename the distribution to correctly identify the platform"
>
>: As you know, there are a zillion different PC platforms. All are user
>: level compatible (assuming we are talking 386 or above). Unless you
>: do something VERY weird (we have not), code running on the Pentium will
>: run on the 386 and 486 and vice versa (actually there are more differences
>: between the 386 and 486 at this level than between the 486 and Pentium).
>
>The name of the dist file is "...-i586-ibm-winnt-...".  May I suggest
>changing the name to "intel-i386" and removing the "ibm"?  

[snip]

It is pretty clear what the problem is here.  NYU is naming the
distribution based on the platform it was BUILT on.  Whereas
everyone who distributes software labels software based on what
platforms it will run on.   Although it would be pretty unusual
to find 586 programs that won't run on a 486, it certainly is
possible and Intel states that there are three "application instructions"
that are new from the 486 to Pentium.  For example:
   CMPXCHG8B (compare and exchange 8-byte)

Personally, I don't care what it is called.  Maybe you should put
in filename "links" and ln 386 and 486 names to the same file...
then see which one people download :^).

Maybe just label it X86 and let them guess?

-Tom