Yuan Meng: Why does Ubuntu take the ARM route?

Some people think that Ubuntu's ARM route (supporting ARM servers) is "Gambling ". This is a bad word. Why? As we all know, CPU (CPU) is the heart of a computer, and the number of transistor particles determines its "energy consumption. However, simply pursuing the reduction of the number of transistor particles is not the fundamental solution to the problem. If there are only several hundred transistors in the processor, it cannot be done. On the road of developing CPU electronic devices, humans have gone through a long journey of exploration. Generally, a CPU receiver's command

Some people think that Ubuntu's ARM route (supporting ARM servers) is "Gambling ". This is a bad word. Why?

As we all know, CPU (CPU) is the heart of a computer, and the number of transistor particles determines its "energy consumption. However, simply pursuing the reduction of the number of transistor particles is not the fundamental solution to the problem. If there are only several hundred transistors in the processor, it cannot be done. On the road of developing CPU electronic devices, humans have gone through a long journey of exploration. Generally, an Instruction of a CPU receiver can instantly respond to an "electric state reaction", sometimes causing a "chain reaction", leading to an expected "result ". CPU commands that can be "Understood" are limited. Generally, complex commands must be processed by a CPU processor with a complex structure. So how many effective commands are required and what relationship should these commands have (such as orthogonal) to efficiently complete meaningful computing tasks? There is a lot of knowledge here.

In October 1983, Acorn started the research on the so-called "simplified instruction set" Computer ("RISC computer"). In April 26, 1985, the world's first "ARM computer" (ARM1) came out, the so-called "ARM" was originally abbreviated as "Acorn RSIC Machine" and later changed to "Advanced RSIC Machine ". It was not until 1986 that ARM2, a real product, was developed. Who can use this new ARM processor? And apple jobs. In 1992, apple used an ARM6-based processor to build its own PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) product. From then on, we were overwhelmed. In fact, later Apple A4 and A5 processors were all ARM family products. Nowadays, popular Apple tablets are the descendants of ARM processors. In October 19, the Ubuntu mini computer ("WebBook") released in South Africa was also a descendant of the ARM processor. On the ARM processor, Microsoft's Windows cannot run because its "MicroCdde" is not accepted by the ARM processor. Microsoft knows that this will not work for a long time. Therefore, Microsoft said Win8 should support ARM processors.

Generally, the ARM processor's "Core" has a total of more than 30 thousand transistor particles, consuming only a few dozen of x86 processors. Today, people are beginning to explore whether ARM's small "core" can be used on servers? Therefore, www.linuxidc.com's so-called "ARM" multi-core processor "concept was formed. Marx once said a word to the general idea that people must first have a concept and then have actions. This year, the 4-core ARM processor (Architecture) Cortex-A16 was available for servers. The Ubuntu community seized this opportunity in a timely manner, held high the banner of the ARM server, moved into "ARM cloud computing", and bound Ubuntu to the path of historical development. To tell the truth, Apple's unfinished wish for Steve Jobs is iCloud, which naturally takes the "King" development path of the ARM processor. Today, Ubuntu has taken the lead ".

In fact, the ARM processor consumes less than 1 watt of power, while the x86 processor consumes tens of watts of power. The Internet cloud center's boss heard that the ARM server could save power (that is, save money), and his eyes would inevitably "Shine". Today, Ubuntu 11.10 is the world's first operating system that supports ARM processors. In October 19, Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu, issued a battle order to enter ARM cloud computing, not to "Gamble", but to adapt to the historical development of "inevitable" (that is, "The only way ").

Note: I don't know what he thinks if someone cannot see Ubuntu. Today, Ubuntu Benz is on the "energy-saving" road of ARM processors, while some domestic MeeGo, based on x86 processors, is a "Dark Horse, it cannot be saved. In addition, how can we summarize the major "11.5" processors in China and explain them to the public? Let's wait!