AMD vs Intel, Intel Raided

Thoughts:

Does this whole suit seem like a big marketing plan to anyone else? I mean read through the document, it reads like a novel not a court filing. AMD wants the average person to be able to understand it and goes through the process of painting Intel as the big-bad-evil corportation.

Now, I'm not saying Intel didn't do anything of these things, but where's the DOJ on this matter? The Justice Dept. went after Microsoft for anti-trust, but they don't seem to be making a big deal out of Intel. Also, Japan's FTC basically gave Intel a slap on the wrist in their findings (no monetary fine). They basically said "Stop it, bad Intel."

*confused * Why are AMd users using the Intel compiler? Also this is a good read. Also this part you used in the summary is near the end of the article and doesn't seem to be the most important part. Not a very legal read, a little boring in the middle but very good. Start and ending worth reading

What and how much of a differance can this make?

Some points I got from slashdot:

AMD licenses MMX, SSE, SSE2 from Intel. However, Intel's compiler will not let these instructions run on an AMD cpu with Intel's compiler.

Intel's compiler sets memcpy to move things 8 bits at a time unless an Intel Pentium 4 is in use, then it does it 32 bits at a time. The current version even screws over the Pentium 3. Why? Perhaps to make the P4 look good at all costs.

Setting the compiler to optimized, then editing the GenuineIntel string to AuthenticAMD in the executable causes the optimizations to run on AMD Athlon XP/Athlon 64 processors with no problems, and with all the benefits.

In short, AMD makes superior processors and Intel has been trying to screw them for a while.

Oh yeah, what kind of programs are compiled with Intel's compiler?
- Games
- Scientific Applications
- Benchmarks

i.e. where it matters most.

Your run-of-the-mill MS Office and GATOR uses the MS Visual C++ usually.

This is why I use Intel... Optimal performance, no problems.

When I think of the word Raid, I think of S.W.A.T. teams and guys dressed in black with sub machineguns, telling everyone to "get on the fucking floor now bitch" and kicking over desks and knocking over furniture, with employees quickly shredding papers and settings documents on fire. And then there's the one employee who gets righteous and the rest of the team has to kill him and hide his body in a file cabinet.

Two things.

#1
I think Intel should be sanctioned for the things they have done, imagine if for instance the gas companies made a deal with Ford, so that non-Ford vehicals that used their gas would get corroded engines from using it. That is basically what Intel did with the compiler.

#2
Anyone using Intel at this point for games is either ignorant or completely in denial, no I am not going to post links to benches just like I won't post links to articles proving the world is round. Every single hardware site on the web has had the same findings for over a year now $200 AMD proccessors destroying $1000 Intel proccessors in games. There is no logic at all to buying an Intel proccessor.

"AMD is so buddy though!" LOL, this is 2005 not 1995, I haven't had a single blue screen since I upgraded to XP on multile AMD chips and chipsets both VIA and NForce except for when I was overclocked way too high.

I don't use an Intel but this thing seems kind of silly. Basically Intel's compiler creates an Intel path and a non-Intel path which is the baseline. They don't enable the optimizations for the baseline, but then there's no real justification for them to spend effort to classify other people's chips and do so.

I call bullshit....

Also to note - I am not a one processor or another type of guy, I like both equally. However, its common knowledge that a great majority of computer savvy and/or hardcore gamers purchase AMD based CPU's, and also claim higher benchmarks when compared to the Intel equivalent. These claims also manifest themselves frequently on popular benchmark/review sites.

I think AMD hasn't got a fuckin leg to stand on when they say the compiler is designed to slow applications down or even crash when used on AMD processors. Thats a load of crap, they should prove it first, which I don't think is going to happen, just a pile of poopoo heresay.

My opinion ? If AMD wins this case, I will have lost all respect for them as it was totally uncalled for. If they lose ? Intel will probably fire back and sue them for every damn penny they have due to hardship, drops in stock, etc.
AMD could potentially be digging themselves a nice deep hole right now, they better fill it in one way or another.

Intel stock went UP .05 today, despite the above news.

I'll never understand the stock market.

Hopefully this evens the playing field mildly for AMD - but I doubt it.

Interesting page about one guy's experiences with Intel's Fortran compiler:

http://www.swallowtail.org/naughty-intel.html

Most are seeing this in the Intel complier 8.0

It detects whether the processor is a "Genuine Intel" and a "Pentium 4". If it doesn't then it does not use the standard extensions MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3. It will emulate them instead. So if your have a AMD it will not use those extensions. If your own a Pentium 3 or less it wont use them either.

This is complier optimization effectively slows down AMD and non-pentium 4 processors.

http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=155593&cid=13044057
http://www.swallowtail.org/naughty-intel.html
http://www.devx.com/amd/Article/28001
http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=155593&cid=13042922

ok, maybe theres more than a little PR-speak in there:

"In April 2003, AMD introduced its Opteron microprocessor, the first microprocessor to take
x86 computing from 32 bits to 64 bits – an advance that allows computer applications to
address exponentially more memory, thereby increasing performance and enabling features not
possible with just 32 bits. Unlike Intel’s 64-bit architecture of the time (Itanium), the AMD
Opteron – as well as its subsequently-introduced desktop cousin, the AMD Athlon64 – offers
backward compatibility, allowing PC users to continue using 32-bit software as, over time,
they upgrade their hardware. Bested in a technology duel over which it long claimed
leadership, Intel increased exploitation of its market power to pressure customers to refrain
from migrating to AMD’s superior, lower-cost microprocessors."

top story at /. right now:

EU Officials Raid Intel Offices
As part of the ongoing antitrust investigations, EU officials have raided Intel offices as well as offices of a number of IT firms manufacturing or selling computers.

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/12/1710213&tid=123&tid=118&tid=218

amd, intel, get back to work!

Reminds me a bit of the different render paths for nVidia and ATI, and all the arguing about HL2 and Doom3 when they just launched.

Actually, that document is written in a very non-lawyer fashion so it's easy to read. I don't recall much legal jargon in there.