Re: [ProgSoc] XFree86

[Dmouse <brett@nospam.benk.itd.uts.edu.au>]

On Mon, May 25, 1998 at 10:21:40AM +3010, pkennedy@nospam.keycorp.com.au wrote:
> 
> hello
> 
> just a quickie....does the 86 refer to the year of this release, or a pun
> on '386' meaning it's X for an Intel PC?
> 
> Patrick Kennedy

It was originally coded for x86 hardware, ie intel chips, pc buses and x86
video cards. Since that time pci has become fairly cross platform, and 
babes like the alpha contain x86 bootstrap emulators so you can bootstrap an
x86 video card in an alpha pci motherboard. Thus XFree86 became cross platform.

Its more a history thing, but it is still mainly x86 stuff.

brett
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