The difference between ARM, MIPS and SH3

[DavidPDAMan]

Can anyone explain the difference please. I'm testing a lot of software. And regularly I see these terms and I don't have a clue what it means.

If I look at Asset Viewer it says:
Model ID : hp iPAQ 5150
Processor Type : Intel(R) PXA255

This sure doesn't look like any of the tree, but I have to choose one of them!!!!

[andyahern]

ARM, MIPS and SH3 are processor types. Your Intel processor is an ARM.

Cheers,
Andy

[DavidPDAMan]

Does anyone know what they stand for?

[AnswerDude]

ARM = Advanced RISC Machines
MIPS = Microprocessor without Interlocked Pipeline Stages
SH3 = SuperH(probably Hitachi)

[Minnion]

The PAX255 is refered to as the X-scale, which is compatible with ARM software, but what is the actual difference between the two?

[AnswerDude]

Originally posted by Minnion
The PAX255 is refered to as the X-scale, which is compatible with ARM software, but what is the actual difference between the two?
X-Scale is a newer generation of ARM, think of is as Pentium 4 to Pentium 3.