Who Copied Who?

[MrGuvernment]

I often see people from both side going one about how intel / amd copied one another,

i was reading a timeline of computers and found this (interesting the entire)

http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist/

http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist/mini.htm

1968
Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore found Intel Corporation. (Intel begins as a memory chip producer, but will soon switch to the new field of microprocessors.) [346.58] [1280.40]

1969
May
Advanced Micro Devices is founded by Jerry Sanders and seven others from Fairchild Semiconductor. [141] [732.54] [1280.40]

Busicom, a Japanese calculator manufacturer, asks Intel to build a custom-chip set for a new calculator. Ted Hoff suggests that instead of set of chips, they create a general-purpose programmable chip. (Intel is initially not anxious to produce processor chips to compete with their customers for memory chips, but eventually decides to take a chance in this new field.) [106.103] [900] [1038.145] [1064.240] (ETI company [266.11])


1976
Advanced Micro Devices and Intel sign a patent cross-license agreement, giving Advanced Micro Devices the right to copy Intel's processor microcode and instruction codes. [141] [659.7] [752.1]

So makes you wonder if this contract was not signed, where would AMD be today ? Or for that matter Intel ?

Could IBM be on top? or even Apple?


Another nice link for history

http://www.computerhistory.org/time..._category=cmptr


With Intels new core and them eliminating their netburst - will this benefit them and give them the crown again. Or does AMD has something up their sleeve since it seems they are pushing the "GHZ" selling, going faster and faster and adding some more l2 cache here an there.