Replies to post #93367 on Intel Corp (INTC)

[tecate]

yeah I read it.

[Tenchu]

Elmer or anyone else, can you give your thoughts on the following parts of the agreement?

modify its intellectual property agreements with AMD, Nvidia, and Via so that those companies have more freedom to consider mergers or joint ventures with other companies, without the threat of being sued by Intel for patent infringement

Does this mean that if AMD, nVidia, or Via want access to a key piece of Intel IP, they can just merge or do a JV with some company that has a license for it?

If so, that might make Intel LESS likely to license IP, not more likely.

maintain a key interface, known as the PCI Express Bus, for at least six years in a way that will not limit the performance of graphics processing chips.

Since when did PCIe ever limit the performance of graphics? I don't get why the FTC agreement has to spell this out.

Intel also will have to reimburse all software vendors who want to recompile their software using a non-Intel compiler.

What does this mean? Pay every single software vendor for the amount of time and labor it takes to recompile software using someone else's compiler? What if that compiler sucks and the vendor has to spend many person-weeks trying to make it work? Can that vendor then sue Intel?

Tenchu

[sheriffbakanay]

How do you see the below working?

Sounds ridiculous to me.

Intel also will have to reimburse all software vendors who want to recompile their software using a non-Intel compiler.

[DavidA2]

Under the settlement, Intel will be prohibited from:

* conditioning benefits to computer makers in exchange for their promise to buy chips from Intel exclusively or to refuse to buy chips from others; and

Sigh. Fine. Although it seems all they are doing is preparing for the situation on the story mentioned in this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lars-h-liebeler/true-equality-in-the-chip_b_420924.html?view=screen

Isn't another word for this "communism"? FTC getting paid way too much to sit around, watch TV and pay for hookers? There should also be a law that prohibits complacent government entities from abusing their powers.

* retaliating against computer makers if they do business with non-Intel suppliers by withholding benefits from them.

In addition, the FTC settlement order will require Intel to:

* modify its intellectual property agreements with AMD, Nvidia, and Via so that those companies have more freedom to consider mergers or joint ventures with other companies, without the threat of being sued by Intel for patent infringement;
* offer to extend Via’s x86 licensing agreement for five years beyond the current agreement, which expires in 2013;

Somewhat less idiotic but nevertheless...

1. Again, fine.
2. Another idiotic move by the FTC. How does it foster "competition" by allowing others to ruthlessly use the patents they created THEMSELVES?!? Hopefully the companies do not abuse this position, and I have a bit of faith there. Fine again. 3. No big deal

* maintain a key interface, known as the PCI Express Bus, for at least six years in a way that will not limit the performance of graphics processing chips. These assurances will provide incentives to manufacturers of complementary, and potentially competitive, products to Intel’s CPUs to continue to innovate; and

Not getting what they mean by this. Do they mean like a special flag that lowers GPU performance or that they should keep ratifying PCI Express standards so the "bottleneck" per se isn't there?

* disclose to software developers that Intel computer compilers discriminate between Intel chips and non-Intel chips, and that they may not register all the features of non-Intel chips. Intel also will have to reimburse all software vendors who want to recompile their software using a non-Intel compiler.

First part of the paragraph makes sense. What about the second one? Why do they have to do it? Why not just say Intel should optimize their own compilers for other CPUs too, instead? They are developing compilers anyway.

Pay others for the sake of paying so the corporations that have no balls to spend R&D for proper optimization on other CPUs and would have not survived anyway live?

This makes almost much sense as the same people who paid billions of tax payer dollars to keep uncompetitive lazy fat ass companies like GM alive, when they could have let it died and have more capable ones proper instead. Oh wait, its the same people!