View Source: x86 - Waikato Linux Users Group

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A colloquial umbrella term for the main [Intel] [CPU] series (8086, 80186, 80286, 80386, i486, [Pentium], etc), which stems from the numbering scheme of the chips up until the i486.

In order to be able to register a trademark, [Intel] started giving the chips names after the i486. They started with [Pentium] (derived from the Greek word for "five") in place of i586. However, were they to be consequent, the next i686 generation would have had to be called Hexium, which they didn't do because "[Pentium]" was a well established brand. So the next generation was called "[Pentium] Pro", and the next chip, which was much closer to the [Pentium] Pro than to the Pentium, was called [Pentium] II. This is what happens when marketing has too much control of a company.

See also [ia32].

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Part of CategoryHardware

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Last edited on Monday, April 19, 2004 8:30:55 pm by AristotlePagaltzis

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