|
The term Lintel is used to describe a computing platform consisting of the Linux operating system running on CPUs which are compatible with the x86 instruction set defined by Intel for their microprocessors. In computing, a platform describes some sort of framework, either in hardware or software, which allows software to run. ...
This article is about Linux-based operating systems, GNU/Linux, and related topics. ...
In computing, an operating system (OS) is the system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations. ...
x86 or 80x86 is the generic name of a microprocessor architecture first developed and manufactured by Intel. ...
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) (founded 1968) is a U.S.-based multinational corporation that is best known for designing and manufacturing microprocessors and specialized integrated circuits. ...
Origins
As Unix and Unix-like operating systems make use of hardware memory protection, the first x86 processors were inadequate for them (8088, 8086 and 80186 had no protected mode, and the protected mode of 80286 was felt to be poorly implemented). When Intel's 80386 arrived, complete with a memory management unit, it was only a matter of time until Unix-like operating systems would be written for the PC platform. The first of those was 386BSD, and Linux (more accurately the Linux kernel with the GNU system) soon followed. Linus Torvalds wrote the kernel on his 386 machine, and it became the leading Unix-like operating system for the PC. The "Lintel" platform was thus born, though not named as such at its first years. Though Linux has been ported to several other architectures, x86 hardware remains its principal platform. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Unix-like. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Unix. ...
Protected mode (sometimes abbreviated pmode) is an operational mode of x86-compatible CPUs of the 80286 series or later. ...
MMU, short for Memory Management Unit, is a class of computer hardware components responsible for handling memory accesses requested by the CPU. Among the functions of such devices are the translation of virtual addresses to physical addresses (i. ...
One of the first PCs from IBM - the IBM PC model 5150. ...
The GNU logo, drawn by Etienne Suvasa GNU is a recursive acronym for GNUs Not Unix. The GNU project was announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman with the goal of creating a complete UNIX-compatible operating system -- called the GNU system or simply GNU -- that is free software, meaning...
Linus Torvalds Linus B. (Benedict) Torvalds (born December 28, 1969) is best known for initiating the development of Linux. ...
Intel and Linux The name "Lintel" is based on "Wintel", the standard appellation for the ubiquitous Windows on Intel platform. Though Microsoft and Intel seem to be working in full concert, the fact is they have been in competition with each other for a long time. Microsoft turned to other chip makers for its pocket PCs and games consoles, while Intel worked with Linux developers on improving hardware support. Of note is that Intel first tested its IA-64 chips on Linux, as Microsoft was in no rush to provide a 64-bit version of Windows for them. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) is the worlds largest software company with over 50,000 employees in various countries as of May 2004. ...
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) (founded 1968) is a U.S.-based multinational corporation that is best known for designing and manufacturing microprocessors and specialized integrated circuits. ...
Pocket PC A Pocket PC is a handheld-sized computer that runs a specific version of the Windows CE operating system. ...
The Nintendo GameCube is an example of a popular video game console. ...
In computing, IA-64 (Intel Architecture-64) is a 64-bit processor architecture developed in cooperation by Intel and Hewlett-Packard, implemented by processors such as Itanium and Itanium 2. ...
Significance The chief significance of the Lintel platform is the eruption of Unix into the PC world. Unix had hitherto been confined to expensive hardware. With the coming of Unix to commodity PC hardware, it also had to adapt to the demands of mainstream PC users, such as consistent, easy-to-use graphical user interfaces. The desktop environments KDE and GNOME were developed for Lintel PCs, and from there they spread onto the rest of the Unix world, replacing outdated systems like CDE, even on proprietary Unices. A graphical user interface (or GUI, sometimes pronounced gooey) is a method of interacting with a computer through a metaphor of direct manipulation of graphical images and widgets in addition to text. ...
KDE (K Desktop Environment) is a free desktop environment and development platform built with Trolltechs Qt toolkit. ...
A typical garden gnome. ...
CDE on Unix (Solaris 8) DECwindows CDE on OpenVMS 7. ...
Also, for parts of the world where pricing is a serious issue, Lintel serves as a budget solution. The hardware being already cheap enough, as x86 hardware is, the remaining issue with Wintel is the price of the software license for Windows; Lintel PCs are affordable even for low budgets.
See also |
Feeds |
Contact