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Arm/ARM clarification
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daler committed Nov 19, 2023
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**instruction set, CISC, RISC, RISC-V**: The *instruction set* is the assembly
code commands that are possible for the chip. *CISC* is "complex instruction
set computer" which prioritizes flexibility. *RISC* is "reduced instruction set
computer" which prioritizing power consumption (this oversimplification, but
that's the general idea). Instruction sets can be proprietary. ARM is a company
that licenses a widely-used proprietary reduced instruction set. RISC-V is an
open (non-proprietary) reduced instruction set.

**ARM vs ARM RISC:** ARM is a company. They make chips (for example, the ones
used in Raspberry Pi computers). They also license the proprietary instruction
set (for example, they license it to Apple to run on their M-series chips).
computer" which prioritizing power consumption (this is an oversimplification,
but that's the general idea). Instruction sets can be proprietary. `Arm
<https://arm.com/company>`_ is a company that licenses a widely-used
proprietary reduced instruction set. RISC-V is an open (non-proprietary)
reduced instruction set.

**Arm vs ARM:** Arm is the company that licenses the proprietary instruction
set For example, they license it to Apple to run on their M-series chips. ARM
(in all caps) refers to the family of RISC instruction sets, and by extension
chips that use the instruction sets. It is also an acronym for Advanced RISC
Machines and the eariler Acorn RISC Machine). This `blog post
<https://nickdesaulniers.github.io/blog/2023/03/10/disambiguating-arm/>`_ goes
into lots more detail.

``x86_64``, ``amd64``: These are synonyms for the original Intel/AMD
architecture.
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