3 Jun
2013
3 Jun
'13
6:53 p.m.
On Mon, 3 Jun 2013, Liam Proven wrote:
On 3 June 2013 20:13, Mouse <mouse at
rodents-montreal.org> wrote:
Who cares what "computer stores" carry? I can order a brand new tray of
80386 processors in QFP packages right now. They are still readily
available and marketed for embedded systems. They draw a fraction of the
power that a Geode does and take up far less board realestate. Oh, and
they aren't BGA and won't suffer from thermal-related issues where the
epoxy fiberglass board's thermal expansion differs from that of a BGA
component; ie the QFP's solder joints aren't going to suddenly fracture
taking out some sort of critical control gear. That said, I /like/ the
Geode, but if I had to choose between the i386 and the Geode (or something
more "modern") for a critical piece of kit that is monitoring and
controlling a remote valve for some sort of volatile liquid/gas, it would
be the i386.
You don't see it in mass-market computer
stores so it doesn't exist, or
some such.
Man, the 386 hasn't been in computer stores for nearly twenty years.