Quiz - Chips and Processors

1. Niagara: Code-name for Sun's next generation UltraSPARC microprocessor. Expected in late 2005 or early 2006, it incorporates a concept that Sun calls chip multithreading, designed to vastly speed up Web content delivery by embedding eight UltraSPARC II-like cores on a single die. It will have a high-end successor called "Rock," which combines multithreading with virtual cores that can be dedicated to application-specific functions. The Niagara design was acquired by Sun along with the startup Afara Websystems Inc. in 2002. Links: eWeek Article: Sun Completes 'Niagara' Design.
2. Not a quiz item but I couldn't resist giving this useful link here. The Geek.com ChipGeek Processor Specs has plenty of information on microprocessor chips and chipsets.
3. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is the biggest competitor to Intel in the processor space. AMD processors include the K5, which was positioned against Intel's Pentium I; K6 which competed against Pentium II and Pentium MMX; Athlon or K7; Duron (originally code-named Athlon Select, then Spitfire), which is the low end of AMD's Athlon line, ClawHammer and Opteron.
4. Crusoe: This low-power microprocessor ideal for mobile computing was released by Transmeta Corporation on January 19th, 2000. Links: Transmeta Corporation; Geek.com article on Crusoe.
5. Intel - CEO is Craig Barrett. Chips include x86, Pentium and Xeon. Itanium is the first 64-bit microprocessor from Intel. McKinley is the successor version of Itanium.
6. PowerPC Alliance was IBM, Apple, and Motorola.
7. The name Pentium was selected during a contest among Intel employees in 1993. The first Pentium came out in 1994.