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There's more than one way to skin a cat...

For example, let's say the cat you want to skin is making $1 billion. You could build a great business, offer customers a great deal, and grow it all over the world... like Intel. Or you could sue Intel because you don't have the innovative muscle, like AMD.

Don't knock AMD. It worked. Intel has agreed to pay AMD $1.25 billion to settle all the legal problems AMD has created for Intel. And Intel has agreed to license technology to AMD.

Yes, you read that correctly. As part of the deal, the two rivals will cross-license technology for the next five years. Other things being equal, do we wonder which company is more innovative? Do we wonder which company will benefit most from licensing the other's technology?

Over the years, AMD has made a good business out of suing Intel. As I wrote in the April issue of Extreme Value...

AMD wouldn't even be enough of a company to fight Intel without Intel's help. Back in the early 1980s, IBM chose Intel's x86 chips for its personal computers, which would run the Microsoft DOS operating system. IBM wanted a second supplier, and Intel picked AMD, giving AMD access to Intel's 286-chip technology. Intel then created the 386-chip, of which it wanted to be the sole supplier. AMD accused it of trying to establish a chip monopoly, a dispute that was settled out of court three years later. AMD sued Intel again in 1991 and was awarded $10 million and a royalty-free license on any patents used in AMD's 386-like processors... which seems to have done it no good at all.

Looks like AMD is still in the business of suing Intel. And business is good. I bet you anything this latest settlement does AMD shareholders zero good over the next several years. I wonder what AMD will do for a living next?

Reply to
Robert Baer
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Let's see... who invented the 64-bit x86 architecture? Who put the memory controller on the CPU chip? Who initiated multicore x86? Graphics on chip?

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And who made secret - and illegal - backdoor deals, including threats and kickbacks, to keep their rival out of major accounts?

Maybe keep building better x86 processors than Intel?

John

Reply to
John Larkin

If AMD have no innovative muscle, then how come they have anything to cross-licence? And if there were no merits to AMD's case, why would Intel come to the party?

Sylvia.

Reply to
Sylvia Else

Hey! I like cats!

btw.. This post was done with an 3.1Ghz AMD Multi Core Phenom 2 Black Edition CPU.

Reply to
D from BC

So do I. But my doctor told me to watch my cholesterol.

-- Paul Hovnanian mailto: snipped-for-privacy@Hovnanian.com

------------------------------------------------------------------ This is the government our founding fathers warned us about.

Reply to
Paul Hovnanian P.E.

lol.. Try Sylvesters. They're leaner than Garfields.

Reply to
D from BC

It seems to me my old Athalon XP runs better (more efficient, faster) than my equally old Pentium 4.

It also has a better video card, but that was made by ATI before they became AMD, so I guess that doesn't count.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Williams

I once had a neighbor who had a couple of pet snakes. He kept a cage of rats to feed them with. Once, when we were all sitting around having a beer, I mentioned that it'd be KEWL to take a video of a little kitten playng with a piece of yarn or so, and a large snake comes up and eats it. The snake guy says, "A snake won't eat a cat." I didn't question him, just kinda said, "Hmmmm." But I wonder why that is? The needle-sharp claws?

Thanks, Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

That's probably correct. The cats I've known will think nothing of taking a hunk of flesh out of the nearest person, no matter how large, should the idea cross their mind.

--
Paul Hovnanian  paul@hovnanian.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Have gnu, will travel.
Reply to
Paul Hovnanian P.E.

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