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While downloading Fedora Linux, they offer two options for download that I don't know the difference to: x86 and i386. So what'sthe difference between them?

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In what context? –  Kaleb Pederson Jan 27 '10 at 6:04
I downloaded fedora12, and it said 1386. I am aware of both i386 and x86. Now it made me wonder if both were same. –  X10nD Jan 27 '10 at 6:12
Hurry!! The motherboards are approaching, I must have an answer. /s –  Charlie Salts Jan 27 '10 at 6:36
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closed as off topic by George Stocker Nov 27 '12 at 17:41


4 Answers

i386 is just one the first model in the x86 familly of processors, and instructions sets.

For more informations, you might want to take a look at :

Quoting the second page :

The term x86 refers to a family of instruction set architectures[1] based on the Intel 8086. The term is derived from the fact that many early processors that are backward compatible with the 8086 also had names ending in "86".

And, quoting the first one :

The Intel 80386, also known as the i386, or just 386,[1] was a 32-bit microprocessor introduced by Intel in 1985. [...]
As the original implementation of the 32-bit extensions to the 8086 architecture, the 80386 instruction set, programming model, and binary encodings are still the common denominator for all 32-bit x86 processors.

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so in short x86 is the same as i386 –  X10nD Jan 27 '10 at 6:15
Only in the same sense that a skyscraper is an Empire State Building. One is an architecture and the other is an exemplification of that architecture. Do you understand the difference? –  Jens Sep 6 '11 at 14:30
Actually the 8086 was the first in the series, as shown in the quotation. –  tripleee Nov 26 '12 at 21:09
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80386/i386 was the first 32-bit Intel processor. When it was introduced, lot of compilers started using i386 as a flag to turn code-generation for it, a name for various temporary files, and architecture denominations in file names. 80386 was succeeded by 486, 586 (aka Pentium) and the rest of the x86 architecture CPUs. But the i386 stuck around as a label and is used as an alias to x86 (just like amd is used as an alias to x64 architecture, even though there are Intel x64 processors as well).

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I still remember having the i386 directory for WIndows NT 4 lying around on smoe hard disk to install Windows without having to find the CD :-). Back in the time when Windows supported MIPS and Alpha ;-) –  Јοеу Jan 27 '10 at 6:21
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It's just another synonym for the same architecture. It's not entirely accurate but the 80386 is the original implementation of the 32-bit x86 instruction set and the common denominator for all following CPUs of that arch.

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80386 (i386) was the first implementation of the 32-bit x86 architecture (x86-32). There were also the 16-bit 80186 and 80286 (x86-16) before it. :-) –  Franci Penov Jan 27 '10 at 6:11
@Fra: Argh, thanks. Still too early here ;-) –  Јοеу Jan 27 '10 at 6:19
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i386 is more specific than x86, but yes, they're approximately the same.

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