how longer will have to wait for an xscale optimized os?

[justBe]

xscale launch was a couple of month ago.... and for what we know.. very few apps.. are optimized... (i think wmp is, not sure), but everywhere we see post about people complaining for sluggish performance....

when our disgrace will be over... :cry:

[ThomasC22]

I remember someone posted that a Toshiba rep had told his user group that there would probably be a new PocketPC version in Q1 2003. We know the next version of the PocketPC is based on Win CE.NET which means it would be xscale optimized.

Don't know how reliable any of this is, but there it is just the same!

[jngold_me]

Don't count on the next iteration of PPC OS to be X-Scale optimized. According to Derek Brown, MS needs to maintain a single code base for PPC's and other devices (ie. SmartPhones) that also use the PPC OS.

There was a tremendous thread on Brighthand recently discussing this topic.

[ThomasC22]

Do you have a link by any chance? I'd be interested in reading that thread.

[Abednego]

Well, I'm afraid, the first XScale-optimized OS will be the Qtopia-Linux on Sharp's Zaurus 5600 - that is unless MS does something unexpected.

[ThomasC22]

Well, I'm afraid, the first XScale-optimized OS will be the Qtopia-Linux on Sharp's Zaurus 5600 - that is unless MS does something unexpected.

That's why I want to see the thread itself, this doesn't quite make sense to me. The common code base that Microsoft is trying to establish is the .NET platform which is a very high level API and should have nothing to do with low level processor optimizations.

More over, Xscale (unless I've misunderstood) is simply a set of additional instructions to the ARM instruction set which shouldn't make it incompatible.

[ThomasC22]

OK, I think I found it here. (http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=4bb18d2dd98f37bb4dd6146a7b30acc0&threadid=62794)

Essentially, the discussion is about WMP but Mr. Brown seems to give a general feel as to Microsoft's overall processor strategy. Now I understand his point about Xscale in that it is a proprietary Intel technology...but he then goes on to say they won't support ARM5 either.

WHAT?!? Now, I'll be the first to admit I don't know the specifics of the ARM Specifications but I was of the understanding that ARM5 was an extension of the ARM4 instruction set so I don't understand how implementation of ARM5 would then break ARM4.

Plus, isn't WinCE.NET xscale optimized?

Unless he's making the distinction between the PocketPC specific APIs and the WindowsCE APIs...in that the PocketPC shell wouldn't be optimized but it would be built on WindowsCE.NET which is...but if he was saying that you would think he would have pointed out that distinction.