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I think it's a rather pragmatic decision given corporate capitalism is the economic model under which most processor design and trade happens, at least toward t

I think it's a rather pragmatic decision given corporate capitalism is the economic model under which most processor design and trade happens, at least toward the higher end. The good news is since the main ISA and several open extensions exist, any open source hardware implementation of those aren't hindered by the ISA. That's also true for SPARC, POWER, and a few others of course. But RISC-V seems to be the belle of the ball and apparently simpler to build a hardware design around. Someone, somewhere may eventually form a coalition to pay TSMC or Samsung to generate an in-house spec for a high-performance RISC-V processor with an open-source license on the hardware design, too. Some places use RISC-V in products where the processor is another line item in the BOM and not the centerpiece of a SOC or dev board, like Western Digital using it in storage products. A group of companies and institutions could very conceivably get things where we'd wish now that the open ISA has set the stage.

goodpoint 4y ago
> rather pragmatic decision given corporate capitalism Supporting a system that centralized designs of critical semiconductors in the hands of few companies and manufacturing in the hands of TSMC is not very pragmatic. If anything it's very ideological.
- cestith 4y ago
  Acknowledging that's the system under which something has happened does not imply, let alone assure, personal support for that system overall. The real world doesn't bow silently in deference to our hopes and dreams.
  - goodpoint 4y ago
    > The real world doesn't bow silently in deference to our hopes and dreams. You are implying that socioeconomical systems are "the real world" and somehow they just happen to exist independently from our "hopes and dreams". It's the complete opposite. Unlike solar flares and ocean tides, socioeconomical systems are entirely the product of human decisions.

goodpoint 4y ago

> rather pragmatic decision given corporate capitalism Supporting a system that centralized designs of critical semiconductors in the hands of few companies and manufacturing in the hands of TSMC is not very pragmatic. If anything it's very ideological.

cestith 4y ago
Acknowledging that's the system under which something has happened does not imply, let alone assure, personal support for that system overall. The real world doesn't bow silently in deference to our hopes and dreams.
- goodpoint 4y ago
  > The real world doesn't bow silently in deference to our hopes and dreams. You are implying that socioeconomical systems are "the real world" and somehow they just happen to exist independently from our "hopes and dreams". It's the complete opposite. Unlike solar flares and ocean tides, socioeconomical systems are entirely the product of human decisions.