>> I guess that this is only really a cosmetic issue---the change of a
>> '4' to a '5' in a boot message, but as a consequence I am confused as
>> to whether or not to put "options I586_CPU" in my kernel config file.

>Identifying Cyrix chips can be a bit confusing. I think the issue here
>is that the 6x86 is almost, but not completely a 586. Also, it doesn't
>have cpuid enabled by default (which makes it incompatible with the
>Pentium as well), but does have the feature.

This is kinda silly.  Saying the 6x86 is not quite a 586 because it
doesn't properly implement a cpuid instruction (which if I'm not
mistaken, the first Pentiums didn't have, either), is absurd.  The
6x86 is clearly a more advanced design than the Pentium.  To be
correct, technologically, the 6x86 is more like a 5-1/2x86.  Obviously
it's not a 686, but it's more than a 586.

The Cyrix/AMD 5x86 chips were clearly 486-class technology.  The 6x86
is vastly beyond these in sophistication.

>Not that it makes a difference in practice, as the NetBSD/i386 kernel
>currently does not use any Pentium-speficic features, except for
>the "coma" bug fix.

True, but it's disconcerting for a user, who may not know anything
about these distinctions, to have his nice "Pentium-like" box called a
486.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Michael L. VanLoon    mvanloon@exmsft.com    michaelv@MindBender.serv.net
      Contract software development for Windows NT, Windows 95 and Unix.
             Windows NT and Unix server development in C++ and C.

        --<  Free your mind and your machine -- NetBSD free un*x  >--
    NetBSD working ports: 386+PC, Mac 68k, Amiga, Atari 68k, HP300, Sun3,
        Sun4/4c/4m, DEC MIPS, DEC Alpha, PC532, VAX, MVME68k, arm32...
    NetBSD ports in progress: PICA, others...
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