Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!mips!prls!pyramid!ctnews!starfish!jerry
From: jerry@starfish.Convergent.COM (Gerald Hawkins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: i486 machines
Message-ID: <1418@starfish.Convergent.COM>
Date: 8 Nov 89 18:49:52 GMT
References: <1263@rodan.acs.syr.edu>
Organization: Convergent Technologies, San Jose, CA
Lines: 32

cwebster@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Chris Webster) writes:
>   First of all, about the problem with 486 chips: I recall reading precisely
>   what the problem was, but I can't remember where.  
-
Our newspaper here (San Jose Mercury) carried an article detailing a
problem with multiplies and divides.  Intel says the problem will occur
when processing floating point multiplies and divides.  The implication
was that one could work around it by emulating.  Obviously, that defeats
half the purpose of using the '486.

>   In today's Science Times section of the NEW YORK TIMES, one of the PComputingcolumns was devoted to a review of Compaqs 11/6 press conference.  They
>   mentioned the two new Compaq i486 machines, but unfortunately in not great
>   detail. 
-
Even having worked at a place where it was possible to release a computer
with a major bug known, I still don't see how you can do it!  Why would
any customer buy a PC with a known bug?  They'll have to release some dog
version of BIOS which looks for the killer instructions, slowing down all
FP operations.  

Comment?  Anybody from Compaq out there?  Anybody going to buy a new
Compaq '486 machine even knowing the '486 has a floating point bug?



"		I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night, alive as you and me.  
		Said I, 'But Joe, you're ten years dead.'  
		'I never died' said he.										"


Jerry		( jerry@starfish.Convergent.COM )
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