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Windows XP 2002 for the Itanium: Unbridled rage
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Overview
A fork of Qemu by Malte Kuhlmann enables workable Itanium Merced emulation that can run Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The development is based on syunnPC's AI-infused Qemu fork, with ongoing improvements expected.
Summary from virtuallyfun.com.
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virtuallyfun.com
Windows XP 2002 for the Itanium: Unbridled rage
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Hacker News · virtuallyfun.com
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Historical count: 5 · 5 saved in sample · Historical sample
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Based on 5 sampled comments from this thread. Analyzed 2026-08-04.
- Praise: There's something alluring about Itanium; its ambition in the CPU space was a refreshing break from the norm, and many miss that era of experimentation.
- Praise: The special architectural hardware in Itanium for unpredictable memory accesses was impressive, showcasing what could have been with better compiler support.
- Concern: Itanium's demise feels like a cautionary tale; it struggled with fundamental issues that AI alone won't solve, highlighting the limits of technology without the right context.
- Concern: The fact that Itanium never reached consumer-class hardware shows a disconnect from the actual audience, making its existence feel more like a misguided proof of concept.