emulation is a technique that allows a computer to execute binary code that was compiled for a different type of computer. before ibm's acquisition of quicktransit in 2009, application binary software for irix/mips and solaris/sparc could run via type of emulation called "dynamic binary translation" on linux/itanium. similarly, hp implemented a method to execute pa-risc/hp-ux on the itanium/hp-ux via emulation, to simplify migration of its pa-risc customers to the radically different itanium instruction set. itanium processors can also run the mainframe environment gcos from groupe bull and several x86 operating systems via instruction set simulators.