Rebirth of the Tech Madman

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The bug of the Pentium microprocessor originated from the fact that Intel fixed the multiplication table on the chip in order to improve performance.

This is a good design, but among the 2048 digital items in the multiplication table, 5 are wrong, which leads to wrong results in some rare floating-point calculation scenarios.

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

A specific example is: when 4195835 is divided by the number 3145727, the calculation result starts from the back of 1.333, and there is a large error.

A professor of mathematics in the United States encountered confusion when enumerating prime numbers through a computer—a high-end risc Fangyuan computer with a holder microprocessor is the same as a mid-range cisc computer with a Pentium microprocessor. Mathematical algorithm, why the results are not the same?

After a lot of tossing, he confirmed that there was a chip defect in the Pentium microprocessor, and sent an email to Intel for a report.

In fact, Intel has discovered this bug earlier.

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

Converting this data into a more vivid statistical caliber, that is, the average failure interval is about 700 years.

The conclusion from this is that this bug is almost impossible to occur - but the reality is that it was found anyway, and some people claim to encounter this bug much more often.

Intel has been slow to deal with this matter, and even a little stupid, otherwise, it would not have given a 700-year MTBF excuse.

Don't forget, now is the Internet age. It can praise you to the sky, or call you a dog——Intel's arrogance has attracted overwhelming condemnation from the virtual community. So much so that in the real world, professional computer magazines like byte and cable news, which are extremely influential media, have carried out comprehensive reports.

This bug affects the scope of the product, basically covering Pentium microprocessors with 0.8 micron process and 0.6 micron process and operating frequency below 120mhz, which can be described as a serious disaster.

Intel, which has many prevarication reasons, doesn't matter if its own reputation is bad, and it has also affected the personal computer industry, scaring many customers away from buying computers using Pentium microprocessors, or even the entire Intel family of microprocessors.

You should know that in specific daily applications, the built-in calculator and spreadsheet software of the operating system will call the built-in floating-point operation instruction of the CPU. If the financial report unfortunately encounters a bug, then the problem will not be easy to evaluate.

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

Gein, the timing of this crisis is too annoying.

Regardless of the actual product of NC, at least in terms of momentum, it poses a visible threat to PC, while the holder product line of Fangyuan personal computer is aimed at mid-to-high end, and the Pentium product line is the main force to fight NC and compete for market share—— Now that Intel has lost the chain, isn't this putting everyone in a dilemma.

Under such circumstances, Mr. Richest Man issued a rare order to convene the major hardware and software manufacturers in the personal computer industry to gather in Cupertino to discuss how to deal with this unprepared mess—it cannot be given to Larry. Ellison's sarcastic remarks and NC took advantage of the opportunity.

Tang Huan's attitude is very clear. There is no other solution but to recall the product. Now it is no longer a matter of 700 years between failures, but a crisis in the outside world's impression of Intel and confidence in the product.

The reasoning is there,

It's like buying a product online in time and space. Except for the damaged packaging and the suspicion of second-hand goods, there is no problem. You can see what the customers say.

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

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

The CEO of Fangyuan Company, John Chambers, interjected dissatisfiedly: You see Intel's economic loss, but you don't think about it. Facing the pc industry challenged by nc, it only needs to replace the buggy Pentium microprocessor with the hardware. How much time wasted and how many opportunities were missed?

Andy Grove's temper is famously tough, but now it's really too unreasonable, so he can only keep silent.

No one wants to do this. Everyone wants to make money comfortably, so let's look forward. Tang Huan waved his hand, and said in a deep thought: Although replacing a flawless Pentium microprocessor requires a process, the user's direct use The experience largely depends on the software.

Andy Grove, who was in a state of desperation, had been running at high speed during this time, so he quickly realized, What does Don mean, can control the Pentium floating point to eliminate the adverse effects of errors from the operating system level?

Tang Huan nodded slightly, Zheru software has already done a technical evaluation. In addition to being able to identify the Pentium microprocessor with floating-point errors, it can also temporarily bypass the problematic multiplication table by sacrificing performance. achieve data security.

Speaking of this, Tang Huan emphasized his tone, pointing out: But you have to understand, this is just a stopgap measure, and Intel can't waste the buffer time it has so hard to get.

Intel will definitely seize the time to make up for its mistakes. Andy Grove, who breathed a sigh of relief, solemnly assured: The Pentium microprocessor with the new core p54c is ready to replace the p5 core products. .It’s a product recall, a bit of economic pressure.”

I can help you find funds. After Tang Huan comforted Andy Grove, he turned his gaze to John Chambers, Fangyuan can also provide support, and consider it as an investment for the next generation of CPUs.

John Chambers didn't object, but just reminded Andy Grove, Intel's promised new microprocessor with built-in native multimedia instructions can't go wrong anymore.

Andy Grove agreed more and more relaxedly, not paying any attention to the unceremonious warning in the other party's words.

It has to be said that compared to the original control of the PC industry by Time and Space, Intel's status has dropped by a level now - it depends on Fangyuan's face.

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

Because the cost of the Pentium microprocessor recall was resolved by Intel and Fangyuan, the burden on other companies was not heavy, and it was completely within their acceptable range, and the atmosphere of the meeting was not as heavy as many people imagined before. After debating for a while, they unanimously raised their hands and accepted the work content undertaken by each, which is enough to release the news to the outside world.

A large number of reporters squatting in Cupertino were very surprised by the speed of the 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 middle. He solemnly announced that Intel is a responsible and great company. In order to dispel the doubts of users, it decided to recall the flawed Pentium microprocessor regardless of gains or losses.

The impassioned statement really moved many people.

But someone still asked sharply—how to deal with the defective Pentium microprocessor after being recalled? Will it re-enter the market after being polished?

Andy Grove gritted his molars, and replied, To reassure everyone, this batch of defective Pentium microprocessors will be destroyed centrally.

Seeing that the atmosphere of the press conference was somewhat tragic, the richest man interrupted and said, I have a suggestion, I don't know if it will work - this batch of defective Pentium microprocessors, it is better to make creative ideas like keychains Small objects, as souvenirs, given to everyone and affected users, can be regarded as a wake-up call.

Upon hearing this, before Andy Grove could express his opinion, there was a round of applause at the scene——Don is both considerate and generous, we have never received such a high-tech key chain, so looking forward to it !

Seeing that Tang Huan made the reporters cheer with just a few words, Andy Grove couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself—I don't expect to improve my personal charm, but my 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 recovery stage.

Among them, the cooperation of Zheru software has made great contributions. It quickly launched a free tool to help users identify the CPU of their computer, whether there is a Pentium floating-point error; , through software patches and option settings, temporarily disable the floating-point operation function of the cpu, and the cost is only to sacrifice performance.

Thanks to the high operating frequency of the current Pentium microprocessor, as long as the calculation is not particularly intensive, the impact on the system operating efficiency is within an acceptable range.

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

With this buffer, there is no need to stop working computers in large areas, and when users accept Intel's public relations, they will feel much calmer.

In this regard, the media and observers commented with admiration——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 outstanding role in coordinating all parties and quickly and effectively solving the problem. Instead of watching the excitement, arguing endlessly, or even taking advantage of the fire with different minds; the rights and interests of users are also guaranteed to the greatest extent.

We noticed that Tang's proposal of making a defective Pentium microprocessor into a keychain was adopted by Intel. And this ingenious souvenir is very popular, and many people are even moved after hearing the news, and spend money to collect this kind of not-for-sale items. AOL can see a lot of related information.

It has to be said that Tang, who spared no effort to come up with ideas, is partial to Intel.

...

It wasn't long before Tang Huan's industry leadership was praised, and his financial resources were immediately talked about again.

The New York Times broke the news that the Rockefeller Center, a New York landmark that was bought by a single person a few years ago, was really bought back 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 this question, he said calmly, During the process of looking for a new headquarters for America Online, I asked Mitsubishi Land for sale. After discussing for a period of time, a deal was indeed reached—I came to the east coast of the United States this time to attend the signing ceremony at the Rockefeller Center.”

Mr. Richest Man really does not offend anyone by speaking—it is no secret that the rental situation of Rockefeller Center has been unsatisfactory in the past few years. He must not be able to stand it alone, so he had to quit in despair.

Without waiting for the American media to gloat and bombard a book, Mitsubishi Estate issued an announcement on heels. During the contact with Tang, we were convinced by some of his ideas. We felt that Rockefeller Center, a national historical site in the United States, was Under Tang's management, there should be another kind of charm that is worth looking forward to, so she decided to be an adult beauty. After discussion, Mitsubishi Estate will still hold the two buildings in Rockefeller Center, and the rest will be awarded to Don. We believe that Tang is not only an ideal partner, but also a trustworthy asset manager.

What a cunning little book! The reaction is really fast enough. The American media, who were about to scold them, almost suffered internal injuries.

In any case, this is a news worthy of celebration, and the attention is immeasurable. Let's hurry up and go to the scene to catch the first-hand news.

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

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

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