Database giant Oracle has chosen Intel to supply crucial programming tools called compilers for creating software that runs on servers using Intel processors. The move is one of several steps Intel is taking to improve the software"s utility. Oracle will use the compilers for versions of its software that run on the Windows and Linux operating systems using Intel 32-bit processors such as Xeon and 64-bit processors from the Itanium line, Intel said Wednesday.
Compilers translate higher-level software written by humans in languages such as C into instructions that a computer can understand. The quality of a compiler has a direct bearing on how fast compiled software runs, particularly on the Itanium family of chips. Oracle"s decision goes against the grain of most Linux programming today, which uses the open-source GCC compiler. On Windows, Microsoft"s Visual Studio tools are very popular, though the software can accept Intel"s compiler as a plug-in.