[rescue] OS X is certified UNIX

[Charles Shannon Hendrix]

Meelis Roos wrote:
>> Another issue is that in 64-bit mode you do not have an FPU.  The FPU is 
>> disabled, and all math is done with SIMD instructions, which are generally 
>> faster and not as prone to bottlenecks common to the x87 FPU.
> 
> Sure about this - got any quote of specification? AFAIK gcc defaults to 
> SSE2 floating pint on AMD64 but it's just the default, it seems to be 
> still able to use FPU if someone so chooses.

Actually, I got that from IBM and AMD.

However, I did misread it.

AMD does say that the FPU is going away, but not yet.

Saving FPU registers in long mode is a performance hit, so some OS do not do it, 
which means you cannot use the FPU.  Windows 64-bit edition for example.

So whether or not you can use the FPU in 64-bit mode depends on your OS, your 
compiler, and when AMD and Intel remove it in the future.




-- 
shannon           | An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto
                   | one blade of grass and not fall off the face of the earth.