Stomp out digital monoculture! This article maintains that if
you believe diversity in computing is a good thing, you might want
to consider getting behind Linux run on PowerPC-based machines.
Most Linux fans are not old enough to remember that
Intel did not always dominate the PC processor market. In the late
seventies, Intel won the chip war with Motorola and Zilog by
offering certain features in its 8086 chip that favored MS-DOS over
then existing competitive OSes. Subsequently IBM selected the 8088
for the first PC, knocking both Motorola and Zilog out of the
emerging PC market. In spite of that loss, Motorola has managed to
remain an important force in computer processors, mainly because of
the PowerPC. As a consortium with Apple and IBM, the PowerPC is now
in a position to save us from Linley Gwennap’s One World, One
Processor scenario. AMD is expected to continue its role, started
as an Intel second source, a producer of Intel clones. As such, AMD
is most relevant to these discussions because their chips obscure
the real One World, Once Processor danger.