how does new crusoe chip work

[Donkey]

Having read a bit all the hype abou this new chip how does it actually work. Isn't it meant to be software/hardware processing? sounds wierd, with software update to speed up the chip? can anyone explain how to me?
in simple english too please if possible.
cheers
Donkey

[hd581]

Here's a short write up on it: http://www.hardwarecentral.com/hardwarecentral/previews/1440/1/

Sounds like the key to it is the "Code Morphing." The hardware is incompatible w/ normal x86 instructions so it has some program that acts as a translator. According to Sander Sassen:
"Fortunately Transmeta has carefully designed the Code Morphing software for maximum efficiency and low overhead."

(hey how do you do that quote thingy?)

I'd like to see performance numbers on that chip to see just how low. Also I think they released 400 MHz and 700 MHz flavors. Since the design is so variant from the AMD and Intel designs, I wonder how that 700 MHz would stack up against the Athlon and P3....
(of comparable clock speed)

[This message has been edited by hd581 (edited 01-21-2000).]

[Andre]

http://arstechnica.com/cpu/1q00/crusoe/crusoe-1.html