Date: Wed, 30 Nov 1994 22:11:13 -0800 (PST)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Thom Fitzpatrick" <thom@tim.com>
Subject: Pentium Chips
This isn't rally bus related, but since we have an esteemed employee of
Intel in our midst. (would that be like Gorillas in the Midst?) :)
-------------------------------------
Q&A: THE PENTIUM FDIV BUG
Q: How many Pentium designers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: 1.99904274017, but that's close enough for non-technical people.
Q: What do you get when you cross a Pentium PC with a research grant?
A: A mad scientist.
Q: What's another name for the "Intel Inside" sticker they put on Pentiums?
A: Warning label.
Q: What do you call a series of FDIV instructions on a Pentium?
A: Successive approximations.
Q: Complete the following word analogy: Add is to Subtract as Multiply
is to
1) Divide
2) ROUND
3) RANDOM
4) On a Pentium, all of the above
A: Number 4.
Q: What algorithm did Intel use in the Pentium's floating point divider?
A: "Life is like a box of chocolates." (Source: F. Gump of Intel)
Q: Why didn't Intel call the Pentium the 586?
A: Because they added 486 and 100 on the first Pentium and got 585.999983605.
Q: According to Intel, the Pentium conforms to the IEEE standards 754 and
854 for floating point arithmetic. If you fly in aircraft designed using
a Pentium, what is the correct pronunciation of "IEEE"?
A: Aaaaaaaiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!
TOP TEN NEW INTEL SLOGANS FOR THE PENTIUM:
------------------------------------------
9.9999973251 It's a FLAW, Dammit, not a Bug
8.9999163362 It's Close Enough, We Say So
7.9999414610 Nearly 300 Correct Opcodes
6.9999831538 You Don't Need to Know What's Inside
5.9999835137 Redefining the PC--and Mathematics As Well
4.9999999021 We Fixed It, Really
3.9998245917 Division Considered Harmful
2.9991523619 Why Do You Think They Call It *Floating* Point?
1.9999103517 We're Looking for a Few Good Flaws
0.9999999998 The Errata Inside
Enjoy,
Thom
'90 AMD 386DX33
--
> Pentiums melt in your PC, not in your hand.
............................................................................
: Thom Fitzpatrick Transamerica Info Mgmnt :
: Systems Administrator 1860 Howe Ave :
: tfitzpatrick@tim.com Sacramento, CA 95825 :
: fax (916) 921-6781 (916) 565-3346 :
............................................................................
All opinions expressed herein are mine and not necessarily those of TIMS!