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The richest man is really busy with official business, and as soon as he has finished explaining some secret things to Tripp Hawkins, Intel CEO Andy Grove, comes to him as if he "smells it". Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Looking at the other party's anxious appearance, Tang Huan couldn't help but be happy. Guy roughly guessed why the star CEO of Silicon Valley came, and he also remembered the "3.0 version" irony of the "Wintel" alliance that controlled the personal computer architecture in the original time and space, that is, each generation of products must go through a "trilogy" process of tinkering before it can be considered perfect.

In the case of Microsoft, which provides the operating system, the most representative example is Windows_XP - the first version is not flattering; Service_Pack_1 version is a little better; The Service_Pack_2 version has almost changed to a completely new operating system, and its popularity has even brought the next generation of Windows_XP Windows_Vista dismal end.

Intel, which provides CPUs, is not much better, almost every generation of new products has unsatisfactory places - from the original Intel_80286 generation of processors, from the "real mode" into the "protection mode", it is almost "soft" to switch back, to the recent generation of Pentium, the floating point except for the bug, it is estimated that only in order to develop the operating system, and have to deal with the underlying details of the Zheru software, only to know with deep understanding, how bad it is.

In the second half of this year, Intel officially released a new generation of microprocessors - Pentium_Pro.

At first, Tang criticized it for not supporting its current flagship product, Pentium, an MMX instruction set specifically designed for multimedia applications.

Now, it seems, the problem is more than that.

Sure enough, Andy Grove quickly got to the point: "The laboratory of the Zheru R&D Center has given us feedback that Pentium_Pro has experienced a significant decline in performance when processing 16-bit old-fashioned programs - I wonder if Zheru software can make up for it at the operating system level?" ”

The inertia in the field of computer applications in terms of compatibility is so strong - although the personal computer industry led by Tang Huan has entered the 32-bit era, it has been about ten years, but there are still a large number of 16-bit software running, not simply mobilizing the sentence "Hurry up and upgrade", people are willing to pay extra money to upgrade all the products that originally ran well.

This phenomenon is particularly prominent in the enterprise market - compared to individual users who like to try it out, and even do not hesitate to format the hard disk twice in three days to reinstall all the software, the enterprise values stability - if the system is running well, don't toss around with your hands, so as not to waste money and lose time.

Therefore, Intel had to pay attention to its own CPU, and the problem of poor support for 16-bit programs was suddenly exposed, after all, once it was spread, it would damage the reputation that it had built up with great difficulty - the product recall costs caused by the last Pentium floating point removal error were as high as hundreds of millions of dollars, which was really painful.

Tang Huan raised his eyebrows and said, "Why don't you directly communicate with Brad Swalberg, CEO of Zheru Software Company, about this specific question?" ”

Andy Grove looked embarrassed, "I did, and he said it was an obvious product flaw, and that it wasn't worth wasting resources on a transitional CPU that didn't support the MMX instruction set. ”

Tang Huan quipped: "He is urging Intel to launch a new product that integrates the best of all as soon as possible." ”

Andy Grove smiled wryly: "Product cycles are not something that can be crossed by leaps and bounds - Intel needs to adjust time. ”

Brad Swalberg was a "feudal official", and he was very busy, how could he be called casually for such a trivial matter.

Tang Huan thought about it, and felt that there were some situations that only listened to Andy Grove's side of the story, and he didn't quite understand it.

Alas, Intel's largest individual shareholder, it's really not easy - Tang Huan, who secretly complained, picked up the phone and called Charles Simeone from the Zheru Group.

After these two Hungarian fellows got together, they talked straight to the point.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with Zheru's decision." Charles Simeone put it bluntly: "Pentium_Pro poor support for 16-bit applications is a product defect. Even if Zheru Software struggles to find a remedy at the operating system level, the actual effect is not easy to evaluate. In particular, in two years' time, Intel will certainly avoid such mistakes in the next generation of products. And the biggest significance of Zheru Software's busyness is to cover for Intel. ”

Speaking of this, Charles Simeone mercilessly pointed to the core of the problem and said: "Andy, Intel's product route this time is incomprehensible, why did it suddenly split a fork in the road?" ”

"You know, for a long time, the most difficult thing for users to part with Intel microprocessors is the compatibility of the new generation of products with the previous generation of products."

Perhaps, Intel's intention is to let Pentium_Pro enter the enterprise market, but users follow the inertia of their developed thinking, and the first reaction is to see Pentium_Pro as the next generation of Pentium's successor. In this case, the question arises, that is, although Pentium_Pro has a P6 core that is more advanced than Pentium's P5 core, it does not support the MMX instruction set - even those of us who are professional and technical are confused, how will the average user react? ”

Andy Grove defended weakly: "Pentium_Pro is a completely different CPU design from the architecture of Pentium, and the development of the two can be said to be not on the same route; As for the MMX functionality, it was added to Pentium's new stepper kernel, which became more and more separate from each other - and after taking into account the development schedule, reliability, cost, etc., Pentium_Pro did not include the MMX instruction set. Anyway, Pentium_Pro is not sensitive to multimedia performance for the enterprise-level market. ”

"You're making a strategic mistake – multimedia capabilities will only become standard, not dispensable with market differences! Take the spreadsheet software CGrid, for example, which can use MMX's enhancements to floating-point arithmetic to improve execution efficiency. Charles Simeone judged in the affirmative: "I believe that no matter how hard Intel tries to advertise it, Pentium_Pro will soon be seen by the public as a product with reduced functionality, which is not a simple performance improvement that can be compensated for - there is certainly no need to waste precious time on a transitional product that is doomed to commercial failure!" ”

Andy Grove retorted unconvinced: "But you ignore that Pentium_Pro even outperforms some RISC microprocessors in integer arithmetic. It also supports multiprocessor architectures, at least in the field of workstations, and can even be used as a processor for supercomputers, which Caltech is working on. ”

Seeing that the argument between the two was becoming more and more intense, Tang Huan interjected and interrupted: "Charles, what is the result of the performance test of Pentium_Pro in the laboratory?" ”

"The data is pretty good." Charles Simeone replied in a slower tone: "Compared to Pentium, the performance of the Pentium_Pro is improved by 25 to 35 percent when running 32-bit programs. ”

Andy Grove replied proudly: "This is in line with our data - the P6 core performs so well while the energy consumption is significantly reduced. ”

"But ......," Charles Simeone continues, "when you run a 16-bit program, the Pentium_Pro performance gains are only 5%; In addition, Pentium_Pro was 10% slower than Pentium when writing to video memory, which resulted in frame skips when running games - shortcomings such as Pentium_Pro couldn't match its high purchase price of nearly $300 per 1,000 units. ”

"Also, the Pentium_Pro floating-point unit has a small bug in converting floating-point numbers to whole numbers -- fortunately, this effect can be considered secondary."

Tang Huan groaned: "In this way, Pentium_Pro and consumer-grade personal computers are destined to be lost; Can only be used in the enterprise market. ”

"I have to say that Intel has put a lot of thought into the process of CISC against RISC." Charles Simeone exclaimed: "Pentium_Pro has added three decoders that can convert instructions in the form of CISC of x86 family microprocessors into 118-bit fixed-length RISC-style microoperations - one of which can convert complex CISC instructions into four RISC-style microoperations; The other two decoders can convert a relatively simple CISC instruction into a RISC-style micro-operation, forming an efficient '4+1+1' 3-way decoding pattern. ”

"The Pentium_Pro order pipeline has suddenly increased from the 5th order of the Pentium to the 14th order - which may cause the instruction queue to perform poorly when executing 16-bit programs."

"In the packaging of the processor, the Pentium_Pro integrates a secondary buffer that runs at the same frequency as the processor, which is not easy to manufacture at the current level of craftsmanship - the high price of Pentium_Pro must be closely related to this."

As soon as Charles Simeone mentioned that Pentium_Pro integrated second-level buffer running at full speed, Tang Huan remembered - isn't it, it was originally time and space in the Pentium 2 era, and one of the main driving forces for Intel to launch Celeron was to deal with those Pentium 2 that failed the test of second-level buffer chips at a low price.

Seeing Tang Huan's gaze turn to him, Andy Grove shrugged his shoulders, and the key points were poured out by Charles Simeone in one go, and he was almost out of words, so he could only bite the bullet and say: "When a new product is first launched, it needs a process of adjustment and optimization, and Pentium_Pro it will get better soon-now, it is poor that Zheru software provides buffering at the operating system level." ”

Tang Huan bowed slightly, he had roughly sorted out the clues.

Because the current Fangyuan personal computer is not completely subject to Intel's x86 family microprocessor in terms of CPU, when the Pentium_Pro performance is not good, these executives under Tang Huan have the confidence to beat each other.

However, excluding interests, Intel's position is still extremely important, and it can't be cleaned up too ruthlessly.

Tang Huan thought for a moment, and then said, "Since Pentium_Pro is more suitable for running enterprise programs, let's try to optimize it in this field." Charles, you're in charge of coordinating in the middle. ”

Then, Tang Huan said solemnly to Andy Grove: "This is just a stopgap measure. I suggest that Intel bring together all the benefits of Pentium_Pro and Pentium as soon as possible, launch Pentium_2, and don't get too attached to Pentium_Pro. ”

Andy Grove and Charles Simeone nodded together - the matter went to the desk of the big boss, and the best outcome was to take a step back and compromise.

……

After the meeting, Tang Huan began to prepare for the COMDEX Las Vegas Fall Show.

As one of the most important stops of the year, this year's COMDEX Las Vegas Fall Show has been postponed mainly because it is too full and a little busy, from the beginning of the year to the present, it has almost run all over the world - the United States, Canada, Brazil, Europe, Australia, India, ...... It's even about to land in China.

In Tang Huan's view, COMDEX is the most glorious stage before it reaches its peak and decline.

Competition in the field of international exhibitions is also fierce, and many of them have official backgrounds, such as CeBIT in Germany – the mere fact that it has a fixed and spacious pavilion is incomparable to COMDEX, which is purely driven by commercial power.

Fortunately, SoftBank bought COMDEX relatively early, and it is worth the ticket price - now is the time to squeeze the surplus value!

As always, compared with technology and product display, the industry forum attended by many well-known figures in the industry is more eye-catching, coupled with the rapid development of the Internet this year, the atmosphere can only be described as boiling.

Robert Metcalfe, the inventor of Ethernet, for example, pessimistically predicted: "If the current frenzied expansion continues, the Internet will collapse next year." ”

Speaking of this, he pointed to the text of the speech and said in an accentuated tone: "If the prediction is wrong, when the time comes, I will eat this manuscript to retract what I have said." ”

……

PS: Starting at two o'clock in the afternoon today, this book is free for a limited time, so let's read it later.