Rebirth of the Tech Madman

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The bug of the Pentium microprocessor stems from Intel's solidification of the multiplication table on the chip in order to improve performance.

This was originally a good design, but 5 of the 2048 numeric items in the multiplication table were wrong, which led to wrong results in some rare floating-point arithmetic scenarios.

The situation is similar to that of an abacus master, strategizing and invincible, but he just remembered a few wrong formulas.

A specific example is: when the number 3145727 is used to subtract 4195835, the calculation result starts from behind "1.333", and there is a large error.

A professor in the Department of Mathematics in the United States encountered confusion when enumerating prime numbers through a computer-a high-end risc square-circle computer with a holder microprocessor is the same as a mid-range cisc computer with a Pentium microprocessor. How come the results of mathematical algorithms are different?

After a toss, he confirmed that the Pentium microprocessor had chip defects, and sent an e-mail to Intel to report.

In fact, Intel internally discovered this bug earlier.

According to an engineer, the bug only causes an error in about every 9 billion long division operations.

Converting this data into a more vivid statistical caliber, that is, the mean interval between failures is about once every 700 years.

The conclusion drawn from this is that this bug is almost impossible to happen-but the actual situation is that it has been discovered, and some people claim that they encounter this error much more frequently.

Intel appears to be relatively slow in handling this matter, even a little stupid, otherwise, it will not give a prevarication excuse for a mean time between failures of 700 years.

Don't forget, now we have entered the Internet age. It can lift you to the sky, or it can call you a dog-Intel's arrogance has attracted overwhelming condemnation from the virtual community. In the real world, professional computer magazines such as "byte" and extremely influential media such as cable news network have carried out comprehensive reports.

This bug is in the scope of the product. It basically covers Pentium microprocessors with a 0.8-micron process and a 0.6-micron process, and the operating frequency is below 120mhz. It can be described as a serious disaster.

Intel, which has many prevarications, doesn't matter if its reputation is bad. It also affects the personal computer industry. It scares many customers and dare not buy computers that use Pentium microprocessors or even the entire Intel family of microprocessors.

You should know that in specific daily applications, the built-in cpu's built-in floating-point arithmetic instructions are called by the calculator and spreadsheet software that comes with the operating system. If the financial statement unfortunately encounters a bug, the problem will be difficult to evaluate.

It has to be said that the current Intel public relations is really not flattering. In addition to being judged by users and the media on the commanding heights of morality, it has also attracted a lot of complaints from the industry.

Gein, the timing of this crisis is too annoying.

Regardless of the actual products of nc, at least in terms of momentum, it poses a visible threat to PCs. Fangyuan’s holder product line of personal computers is geared towards mid-to-high end. The Pentium product line is the main force in fighting nc and fighting for market share—— Now that Intel has dropped the chain, isn't this a situation where everyone is in a dilemma.

In this case, the richest man rarely issued an order to convene major hardware and software manufacturers in the personal computer industry to gather in Cupertino to discuss together how to deal with this unprepared mess-not to Larry · Ellison talked coldly and nc took advantage of the opportunity to come in.

Tang Huan’s attitude is very clear. There is no other solution. There is only one way to recall the product. Now it is no longer a problem of 700 years between mean failures, but the outside world’s impression of Intel and confidence in the product, and there is a crisis.

The reason is there. It's like buying a product online in the original time and space. Apart from the damaged packaging and suspected second-hand goods, there is no problem. Look at the customer's evaluation.

Intel CEO Andy Grove also sees the current situation clearly, but he still can't pass that hurdle in his heart.

In a small meeting, Andy Grove said to Tang Huan with a bitter face: "If the product is recalled, the related financial loss may exceed 500 million U.S. dollars."

Fangyuan CEO John Chambers interjected dissatisfiedly: “You see Intel’s economic losses, but don’t want to think about it. Faced with the challenge of nc, the PC industry only completes the hardware replacement of the buggy Pentium microprocessor. How much time does it take and how many opportunities are missed?"

Andy Grove's temper is famously tough, but now it's really too reasonable and can only be silent.

"No one wants this. Everyone wants to make money easily. Let's look forward." Tang Huan waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Although it takes a process to replace a Pentium microprocessor without defects, it is directly used by the user. The experience largely depends on the software."

The battered Andy Grove, his mind has been running at a high speed during this period, so he quickly reacted, "Tang meant that from the operating system level, the Pentium floating point can be controlled to eliminate the adverse effects of errors?"

Tang Huan nodded slightly, "Zheru Software has done a technical evaluation. In addition to identifying the Pentium microprocessor with floating-point errors, it can also sacrifice performance to temporarily bypass the problematic multiplication table. Achieve data security."

Speaking of this, Tang Huan emphasized his tone and pointed out: "But you have to understand that this is just a stopgap measure, and Intel can't waste the buffer time it has finally won."

"Intel will definitely seize the time to redeem its mistakes." Relieved Andy Grove solemnly assured: "The Pentium microprocessor with the new core p54c is ready to replace the p5 core product. . It’s a product recall, which is a bit of financial pressure.”

"I can help you find funds." After Tang Huan comforted Andy Grove, he turned his eyes to John Chambers, "Fangyuan Company can also support it as it invests in the next generation of CPUs."

John Chambers did not object, but just reminded Andy Grove, "Intel promised a new microprocessor with built-in native multimedia instructions, and there can be no more mistakes."

Andy Grove agreed more easily, not caring about the unceremonious warning in the other party's words.

It has to be said that compared to the original control of time and space on the personal computer industry, Intel's position has dropped directly by one level-it depends on the face of Fangyuan.

After reaching a consensus in this small-scale meeting, Tang Huan began to preside over a larger industry meeting to coordinate various affairs.

Because the cost of the Pentium microprocessor recall was resolved by two companies, Intel and Fangyuan, other companies were not burdened, and they were completely within their acceptable range, and the atmosphere of the meeting was not as heavy as many people thought before. After a little debate, they raised their hands unanimously and accepted the content of the work they had undertaken, which was enough to release news to the outside world.

A large number of reporters squatting in Cupertino were very surprised by the speed of this meeting. They were still surprised when they were arranged in the conference room where the press conference was held.

Andy Grove, the protagonist, sits in the center. He solemnly announced-Intel is a great and responsible company, in order to dispel the doubts of users, decided to fully recall the defective Pentium microprocessor regardless of gains and losses.

The impassioned statement really moved many people.

But some people still asked sharply-how to deal with the defective Pentium microprocessor after it is recalled? Will it re-enter the market after being "polished"?

Andy Grove gritted his posterior molars and replied: "In order to reassure everyone, these defective Pentium microprocessors will be destroyed intensively."

Seeing that the atmosphere of the press conference was a bit tragic, the richest man intervened: "I have a suggestion, but I don't know if it will work-these flawed Pentium microprocessors are not as creative as keychains. Small objects, as souvenirs, for everyone and the affected users, can be regarded as a wake-up call."

As soon as I heard this, before Andy Grove expressed his opinion, there was applause at the scene-or Tang was considerate and generous. We haven't received such a "high-tech" keychain yet, so I look forward to it. !

Seeing Tang Huan's short words, the reporters cheered, and Andy Grove couldn't help but secretly smiled bitterly-his personal charm is not expected to improve, but the public relations skills really need to be strengthened.

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Intel’s crisis came very suddenly, but after the initial chaos, it quickly entered a smooth and orderly remedy phase.

Among these, the cooperation of Philosophy and Confucianism software has made great contributions. It quickly launched a free tool to help users identify whether the CPU of their computer has a Pentium floating point division error; if unfortunately, they will be instructed to step by step on the affected products such as calculators and spreadsheet software. , By means of software patches and option settings, temporarily disable the cpu's floating-point calculation function, and the price is only at the expense of performance.

Thanks to the current Pentium microprocessor, which has a higher operating frequency, as long as the calculation is not particularly intensive, the system operating efficiency will be affected within an acceptable range.

Most importantly, this effective handling of Pentium floating-point division errors has quickly restored confidence in the corporate market.

With this buffer, there is no need to stop working computers on a large scale, and users will feel calmer when they accept Intel’s public relations.

In this regard, the media and observers appreciatively commented-Tang deserves to be hailed as the leader of Silicon Valley. In this product defect incident that affected the entire pc industry, he played an excellent leadership, coordinated all parties, and quickly and effectively resolved The problem is not watching the excitement, arguing, or even taking advantage of the fire; the rights and interests of users are also guaranteed to the greatest extent.

We noticed that Tang's proposal of "making the defective Pentium microprocessor a keychain" was adopted by Intel. And this ingenious souvenir is very popular, and even many people are attracted by the wind and spend money to collect this non-sale item. A large amount of relevant information can be seen on AOL.

I have to say that Tang, who spared no effort to come up with ideas, is very partial to Intel.

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It didn't take long for Tang Huan to be praised for his industry leadership, and his financial resources were immediately talked about.

The New York Times broke the news that a few years ago, amidst the sighs of Americans, a New York landmark, Rockefeller Center, was bought by the richest man. The official signing time is just around the corner.

When Tang Huan, who attended this year’s "Forbes 400 Rich List" banquet, was asked about this question, he calmly said, "In the process of finding a new headquarters for AOL, I asked Mitsubishi Land Office if there are any sales. After a period of discussion, a deal was indeed reached-I came to the East Coast of the United States ~www.wuxiaspot.com~ this time to attend the signing ceremony held at the Rockefeller Center."

The richest man is really not a guilty person—the Rockefeller Center’s rental situation in recent years has not been ideal, and it’s not a secret anymore. One must not be able to stand it anymore, so he had to withdraw in a desperate manner.

Before the U.S. media began to gloat on a book, Mitsubishi Land released an announcement. During our contact with Tang, we were overwhelmed by some of his ideas and felt that the Rockefeller Center, a national historic site in the United States, Under Tang's management, there should be another kind of charm worth looking forward to, so he decided on adult beauty. After discussion, the Mitsubishi Estate will still own the two buildings in Rockefeller Center, and the rest will be awarded to Tang. We believe that Tang is not only an ideal partner, but also a trustworthy asset manager.

"What a cunning little one! The response is really fast enough." The American media, who was ready to scrutinize it, almost suffered internal injuries.

In any case, this is a news worth celebrating, and the attention is immeasurable. It is better to hurry up and catch the first-hand news on the spot.

On the day of the contract, more than a thousand media gathered at the Rockefeller Center; there were countless people watching the excitement.

Reporters noticed that in addition to the seller headed by Mitsubishi Landsho President Fukuzawa Takeshi, and the buyer headed by Tang Huan, some members of the Rockefeller family, such as the third generation of David Rockefeller, James Rockefeller, and Lawrence Rockefeller, the fourth-generation Jay Rockefeller, etc., have also appeared.

Looking at the gray-haired elders of the third generation of the Rockefeller family, many people couldn't help but mutter to themselves-the richest man bought the Rockefeller Center back, and the noise was a bit big!