[koosnel]

If ARM didn't attack RISC-V I would not even know about them. Going to read about them now.

[jf-]

Same here. Looks like an interesting project, but looks like it’s predecessors sadly came to nothing.

[rwmj]

RISC-V is substantially different in scope than things like OpenRISC and SPARC. They are not designing a single core, they are designing specifications and allowing multiple suppliers (both open and proprietary) to create implementations. Also the standards cover much more than just the core. And they're working with Linux distros to make sure the software ecosystem is there too.

[makomk]

I have a Bluetooth module sitting on my desk that happens to use a CPU descended from OpenRISC - except it's 100% proprietary in both implementation and instruction set. I don't think there's even any public documentation of the instruction set. Basically, some of the OpenRISC folks decided there was more money in proprietary chips; they also blocked the merging of the gcc code upstream, which helped kill it off as a viable open architecture.

[snvzz]

But they didn't have the sort of backing RISC-V has.

Just glance at RISC-V foundation member list, or RISC-V workshop minutes. It's got serious traction.

[nickik]

That's somewhat of a strange argument. The predecessors were highly successful and influential academic projects. The simply never had the idea/motivation to try to move that stuff into the real world.

All of this stuff also now profits from the change/slowdown in Moors law.

[jf-]

Came to nothing in market terms, if you prefer.

[nickik]

That was never the goal or intention. Those were research products that did exactly what they were designed to do.

It has absolutely no relevance for RISC-V being successful or not.