Comment Re:If I remember correctly... (Score 1) 91
The first Itaniums had x86 compat in hardware and were, I believe, disappointingly slow at executing x86 code. Obviously that's something that Intel could have improved if they applied themselves to the problem (and maybe they'd have made it faster if they hadn't been expecting / hoping / planning to replace x86 anyhow).
But given the different philosophies of the architectures, I think it's somewhat plausible that doing an x86 -> Itanium conversion in hardware is just a bit awkward and that software might genuinely give the flexibility to do a better job. Around the same time, Transmeta were selling their chips that exclusively exposed a software-emulated x86 layer for use in laptops. I remember wishing Intel would buy their tech and apply it to Itanium / x86 compatbility.