[Info-vax] VSI licensing policy (again), was: Re: VSI has a new CEO

[John Dallman]

In article <6851ade5-b1ad-4062-b37e-1dd747ec5081n at googlegroups.com>,
dgsoftnz at gmail.com (David Goodwin) wrote:

> The most recent consumer-oriented effort is just Windows 10 (or 11) 
> but on an ARM processor. Apparently it works fine. 

It does, within the limits of its CPU power. The currently available
devices do not have leading-edge ARM processors.

> Its got some sort of binary translation/emulation thing (like 
> Apples Rosetta 2 I guess) that lets it run unmodified x86 software. 

That works too, although it's a bit slow. It is a binary translator, as
are all these things nowadays: instruction-by-instruction emulation is
Too Slow. 

> If an ARM Windows laptop appears to be just another laptop running
> Windows to end users then I'd say Microsoft has done all they can.
> Whether it would then be successful is down to the companies making 
> the hardware it runs on. Seems unknown whether Qualcomm can be bothered

> trying to compete with Apple in making a high performance low power 
> ARM CPU.

Qualcomm's CEO has /claimed/ he'll deliver performance equivalent to
Apple's M1 next year. I have no idea if Qualcomm will manage this, but
there is no magic in the M1, and the same approach could be used by any
manufacturer prepared to go to the necessary effort. 

John