There are open source programs out there that make assumptions as to the underlying architecture, such that they don't run as well, or at all, on non-x86 archit

There are open source programs out there that make assumptions as to the underlying architecture, such that they don't run as well, or at all, on non-x86 architectures, including OSes like GNU HURD. Sometimes the right tool for the job is x86. Edit: Grepped through the FreeBSD Ports tree for architecture specific ports, and the most common reason not related to using a binary of some sort tends to be that the program uses embedded assembly, usually floating point and/or SIMD extensions, and the developer hasn't coded a fallback of one sort or another. Some of them could probably be ported fairly easily, others may be more difficult projects where it'll be easier/mentally cheaper to just spend the extra money to get an x86 board and be done with it.