'Sorry Pat, but it's looking like Arm PCs are inevitable'

https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/28/arm_pcs_inevitable/

The spanner in the works of ARM on the desktop is the inverse situation to Apple's Mx ARM chips: Fragmentation and proprietary standards.

1. Fragmentation because unless there are the same kind of standards that apply to PCs, in terms of bus specifications and other relatively open standards, SoC (system on a chip) isn't really a PC. It lacks expandibility, upgrades, and the flexibility inherent in PCs (their major advantage over, excellent but pricey, Apple platforms). ARM is not plain RISC and different platforms could be just different enough to break performance or compatibility. Like the early x86 and BIOS clones from the mid 1980s (IBM had a wholly proprietary BIOS and there is an interesting backstory about how people got around that - but it temporarily held up progress).

2. Proprietary standards because, given the dangers of fragmentation and changes, unless there are agreed upon, open, standards it is easy to get stuck with particular platforms. It's anti competitive, anti freedomand - it's not transparent. I don't mean the hardware should be totally open source but it'd be nice to have a well documented, open, instruction set and interfaces. To quote HHGTTG (insert "Signed an NDA" at least twice for accuracy):

But the plans were on display…”

“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”

“That’s the display department.”

“With a flashlight.”

“Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.”

“So had the stairs.”

“But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?”

“Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard'.