...In June, 1994 the media came out with a story that one of Intel’s Pentium microprocessors had a floating point unit flaw (FPU). This flaw had to do with a math calculation that gave out wrong number after you put in an equation. The story about this flaw came to light after Professor by the name of Thomas Nicely, who was a mathematics professor at Lynchburg collage. Nicely was trying to compute the sum of a reciprocal of a large group of prime numbers on his Pentium based computer. When he checked the results they were different by a large amount from the theoretical values. By running the same test program on a different computer with a 486CPU, he came up with the right numbers this lead him to be able to track down the error to the Pentium itself. After finding the problem Nicely send out an email to Intel describing the problem that he had come across in his test. The email stated that there was a flaw in the Pentium floating point unit (FPU). With no response back from Intel Nicely posted a general notice on the internet asking people to confirm his findings. When the media got wind of this story Nicely did some magazine and T.V interviews about what his test resolute showed him. The flaw in the Pentium flaw was not an isolated incident the flaw was quickly verified by other people around the world in the scientific community, which became referred to as the Pentium FDIV bug. When the story first broke Intel’s initial response was to deny that there was a kind of a problem...
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...Unit 5 Analysis 1: Pentium Flaw In the summer of 1994, Intel discovered the Pentium Flaw. Once discovered they decided that their chips did not need to be recalled because the chance of the average user finding out about the error was 1 in 9 billion. Thomas Nicely, a professor at Lynchburg College in Virginia, made the error public. He had sent an e-mail to several colleagues. Nicely was using a few computers to compute mathematical problems. He wanted to prove they had enough power to do so. I feel Intel did not handle the problem professionally at all. While Intel knew that there was a flaw in the chip, they continued to send out a defective product. Regardless of who might discover the error, they should have recalled the chip to have them replaced. By deciding to send out the flawed processor, this probably helped the company as well. Before this mistake, not many people were aware of Intel. After months of research, Intel finally decided to recall the chip. Thomas Nicely had then run over a quadrillion calculations on a revised chip and was unsuccessful of reproducing the error. I am unsure of the outcome if a similar flaw like this were to happen today. With the help of social media and the internet, word of any flaw or error today would spread like wildfire. The old rule of thumb is 1 tells 10, well now it's more akin to 1 tells 10,000. I believe that if a homogeneous situation were to occur it would be handled expeditiously and promptly. I’m sure Intel has new policies...
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...Unit 5 Analysis 1: Pentium Flaw The Intel Pentium microprocessor was introduced on March, 1993 that was hugely popular among consumers because of its cheap price and decent performance. Unfortunately, the early versions of these microprocessors had a flow within the floating point unit (also called a math coprocessor). This caused the Pentium's FPU to incorrectly divide certain floating-point numbers. Because only certain numbers divide incorrectly and Intel assumed that many users would never encounter the division error, the company decided to keep the issue quiet and fix the problem in updates to the chip. Thomas Nicely, a math professor at Lynchburg College, discovered the error however, and after sending his findings to Intel with no response, he posted his findings on the Internet, where others confirmed his theories. When Intel finally announced the bug, they originally said that they would only replace chips for users that require high-accuracy calculations, but when IBM publically refused to sell computers with faulty chips, Intel offered to replace all flawed Pentium processors. Because Intel chose to keep the flaw quiet, and because they originally refused to recall the product, they caused a great public outcry. Their mistakes also ended up costing them over $475 million and damaged their image. Intel now currently post all flaws and bugs that they find in their products in order to avoid another catastrophe like the Pentium Flaw. Other companies also take this...
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...market, every company is always trying to one up the other to have the newest and fastest. So when a company has a microprocessor with a flaw it turns into a problem in a hurry. Such was the case with INTEL in 1994. Dr. Thomas R. Nicely, a professor of mathematics at Lynchburg collage in Lynchburg VA was the first person to find the flaw outside of INTEL. Dr. Nicely found this flaw in the floating point unit (numeric co-processor). While performing complicate math equations he found that after the eight digit the numbers are incorrect. At first INTEL tried to keep this a secret until Dr. Nicely sent an email to INTEL on October 30th 1994. He explain how he tested many CPU’s and got the same result. Since INTEL did not inform the general public of this flaw until Dr. Nicely made his email public. I believe INTEL should have let the public know of this flaw as soon as they found it so that the people using them could adjust their mathematical data. Since social media made it easy for everyone to share the information it spread very quickly. Once it spread INTEL’s stock closed at $59.50, down $3.25 for the week. I don’t think INTEL handled it correctly, they should of let the public know as soon as they found out about it. Then INTEL should have issued replacements. INTEL finally did apologize by saying it will replace all flawed Pentiums upon request. It set aside a reserve of $420 million to cover costs. INTEL hires hundreds of customer service employees to deal with...
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..."Nt1110 Unit 5 Analysis 1" from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. NT1110 Unit 5 Analysis 1: Pentium Flaw The Pentium flaw began to be noticed on a public level in 1994. This was a huge flaw considering that the Pentium processor was used in 80% of the personal computers worldwide. The microprocessor is the heart of the computer and controls all of the operations and calculations that take place. “Flaws are not uncommon in complicated integrated circuits and most of them go unnoticed by the user” (Fleddermann, 2004). However, the Pentium flaw was very different. It caused incorrect answers when preforming double-precision arithmetic and was easily detected by the users. The first time that it was noticed, was by a university researcher. He noticed that the results of some of his calculations were incorrect. They began to do test on whether or not the microprocessor was flawed. “Using spreadsheet software, the user was able to take the number 4,195,835, multiply it by 3,145,727, and then divide that result by 3,145,727. As we all know from elementary math, when a number is multiplied and then divided by the same number, the result should be the original number. In this example, the result should be 4,195,835. However with the flaw, the result of the calculation was 4,195,579” (Crothers, 1994). Intel originally denied that there was even a flaw. Only after it become clear to the public that there was actually a flaw, did they...
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...Ariel Torrente NT1110 Unit 5 Analysis Pentium Flaw Ariel Torrente NT1110 Unit 5 Analysis 7/27/2013 Pentium Flaw The Pentium flaw also nicknamed the Pentium FDIV bug, was an identified error in the Intel P5 Pentium floating unit. The presence of the bug can be checked manually by performing the following application that uses native floating numbers, including Windows Calculator or Microsoft Excel in Windows 95/98 (Pentium FDIV bug). The Pentium flaw was discovered byProfessor Thomas R.Nicely at Lynchburg Collwge,Virginia USA (Emery, Vince). Dr.Thomas R Nicely is a mathematic professor, noticed a small difference in two sets of numbers, he always double-checks his work by computing everything twice, two different ways (Emery, Vince). Dr.Nicely spent months successively eliminating possible causes such as PCI bus errors and compiler artifacts (Emery, Vince). Intel wanted to keep to keep the Pentium flaw a secret, after Intel testers discovered a division error in the Pentium chip (Emery, Vince). Intel managers decided that the error wouldn’t affect many people, therefore no one outside of the company was not informed (Emery, Vince). The pandemonium over Intel’s Pentium chip cost the company millions of dollars and could have been prevented and became an uproar on the internet (Emery, Vince). This was Intel’s first mistake and the company was given a reputation that made Intel not a trustworthy company and not disclosing that information made them seem to be hiding a...
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...Unit 5 Analysis 1 : Pentium Flaw The Pentium microprocessor is the CPU (central processing unit) for the widest selling personal computers. Unlike previous CPUs made by Intel, the 486DX and Pentium chips came along with a floating-point unit (FPU) also known as the math co-processor. Previous Intel CPUs did all their arithmetic using integers; programs that used floating-point numbers (non-integers like 2.5 or 3.14) needed to tell the chip how (for example) to divide them using integer arithmetic. The 486DX and Pentium chips have these instructions built into the chip, in their FPUs. This makes them much faster for intense numerical calculations, more complex, and more expensive. The problem for Intel is that all Pentiums manufactured until sometime this fall had errors in the on-chip FPU instructions for division. This caused the Pentium's FPU to incorrectly divide certain floating-point numbers. Many software packages, including many that do use floating-point numbers, don't actually use a computer's FPU. These packages don't show the error. Also, only certain numbers (whose binary representation show specific bit patterns) divide incorrectly. Consequently many users may never encounter the division error. The most famous example and the worst well-known case is 4195835/3145727, discovered by Tim Coe of Vitesse Semiconductors. The correct value is 1.33382 to 6 sig. figs, while the flawed Pentium's floating-point unit computed 1.33374 to 6 sig figs, a relative error of 0.006%...
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...Unit 5 analysis 1: Pentium flaw Aaron Mancias April 16 2016 Professor Amos The CPU is a central processing unit brains of the computer aka microprocessor or processor. It executes a sequence of stored instructions called a program containing millions of transistors interconnected by smell aluminum wires (busses). They carry various signals addresses and data (3 types of data bus, address bus), control bus. The flaw was discovered in 1994, a division error in the Pentium chip by Intel. only told to people who worked inside the company and nobody else .the same month a professor of mathematics at Lynchburg college , Virginia by the name of Dr. Thomas A nicely notices a small difference in the two sets of numbers , rechecking everything he comes to the conclusion ( Pentium chip) eliminating all other causes, 5 month in total . The flaw of the chip cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars and Intel appeared as it was hiding a sinister secret. Intel’s response was very unprofessional and that’s what lead there minor problem into beings so chaotic and costworthy. Basically. DR. Thomas nicely contacted them told them about their problem. Intel duplicates the error...
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...Unit 5 Analysis 1: Pentium Flaw Intel Corporation discovered a design flaw in June of 1994 in its flagship Pentium Processor. For divisions involving a few specific numbers, the chip's floating point unit gave the wrong answer. Intel's tests showed that the error only appeared in the ninth significant digit of the answer and affected only a minuscule percentage of the possible division combinations. Intel did not handle the problem correctly, they consider the flaw to be “minor” .They said that it wasn’t the first time a flaw of this nature happened so Intel continued to sell hundreds of thousands of chips that were already made. Intel pretty much ignored the flaw and did nothing to satisfy its consumer. Dr. Thomas contacted Intel’s technical support in October of the same year and had no luck, so he decided to post the problem in a blog, which brought immediate attention to Intel. At the beginning Intel said that that they will only replace the flawed chip only for those users that work with heavy duty scientific/floating point calculations since the problem did not affected everyone else using simple mathematics. Later that year after the increased coverage by worldwide print and electronic media, Intel fear and decided to recall the chip on December 20, 1994. Intel decided to offer a replacement chip to all of its end-users—"no questions asked." Intel took a $475 million loss for the replacement program. In today’s society I think it would be mostly impossible for...
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...Tiffany M Shamlee Unit 5 Analysis 1 NT1110 Pentium Flaw The Pentium flaw was discovered where the division result returned by the Pentium microprocessor was off by about sixty-one parts per million. When Intel discovered the flaw, their solution was to keep the information within the company. They did not want to disclose any of the information to the public, because of the negative publicity it would bring to the company. The flaw did not affect all microprocessors, only a very small number of customers. I feel that Intel should have openly acknowledged the problem despite the small number of customers affected. Intel determined if customers were affected by the flaw when they called in to report a problem. They did this by inputting a certain code into their system. Once they identified the problem, Intel would then implement a solution. However, if feel if Intel had openly accepted and informed the clients about the issue, it would have most likely saved them money. Their reputation between the company and their existing clients would have also been protected. Intel’s decision and way of handling the flaw caused a lot of their customers to be very unhappy. If this type of flaw was to be found in a new CPU today, the company would surely fail. With a problem in the floating-point math subsection with an error of approximately sixty-one parts per million, this would cause too many problems for the clients today. Especially considering that Intel declined...
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...Marcos Corpas 1/18/2016 NT1110 Unit 5 Analysis 1: Pentium Flaw The Pentium processor flaw was a flaw in the floating-point math subsection of the Pentium microprocessor. When certain conditions were met low order bits of the result of floating-point division operations would be incorrect, an error that can quickly compound in floating-point operations to much larger errors in subsequent calculations. Intel corrected the problem in a future revision, but they refused to disclose it. The mathematics professor at Lynchburg College who discovered the flaw was Dr. Thomas Nicely. Dr. Nicely then had an inquiry with Intel and upon not receiving any response from them he posted about the flaw on October 30th 1994 online. Word quickly spread of the flaw and Intel responded by saying that the bug was minor and “not even an erratum”. Since the bug was easy to replicate by the average user, Intel's response about the bug was not accepted by many computer users. When New York Times Journalist John Markoff ran a piece that spotlighted the error, Intel in response to the media coverage changed its position on the matter and offered to replace every faulty chip. Intel put in place a large end-user support organization. This resulted in a five hundred million dollar charge against Intel's 1994 revenue. Interestingly enough, the attention paid to the Intel Pentium Processor Flaw made Intel go from a seemingly unknown computer supplier to a regular household name. The incident is considered by...
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...Breanna McCarthy NT 1110 comp. strategies & logic Unit 5 Analysis 1 Pentium Flaw Nature of Pentium flaw: Engineers discovered a flaw in the microprocessor in the floating point math subsection. This would cause low order bits to be incorrect. This could quickly lead to larger errors in calculations When and how it was discovered: This flaw was discovered in 1994. Apparently Intel engineers found it but decided to keep it quiet until a professor, Dr. Thomas Nicely, discovered it and made it well known to the world, after not receiving a response from Intel on the matter. Intel’s response to the flaw: This incident actually helped make Intel a commonly unknown computer supplier to a household name. They responded with the Intel inside campaign, and becoming more user friendly in their business practices. They fixed the flaw in the microprocessors to come. Did Intel handle the problem correctly?: I feel that this was actually good for Intel. It helped them to become a well-known computer supplier and put them in gear to head in the right direction. They are a very successful company as of today even with the flaw. What did Intel do to satisfy customers?: Intel launched the Intel Inside Campaign as well as to create awareness to avoid a lasting negative impression to customers. What would happen if the same type of flaw happened today?: If the same thing were to happen today, I’m not completely sure that it would make it out into computers. With the constantly...
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...Unit 5 Analysis 1: Pentium Flaw The Pentium flaw was discovered by Intel testers in June of 1994. Intel determined that the flaw did not affect many people and did not inform anyone outside the company. Intel withholding this information was a recipe for disaster in the first place. This lead to the customers of Intel to assume that the company was not completely trustworthy. Finally in November of 1994, Intel announced the flaw, although they have known about it for months. Intel did not handle this problem correctly. Intel should have at first notice of the flaw conducted a full recall of all the processors possibly affected. Not announcing a flaw of this level was a huge error on Intel’s part. They could have announced the problem and offer fixes to address the issues at hand. Waiting to announce this until months after the fact was a huge let down for customers. Customers expect that if a company finds a problem with their products that they inform them about it and provide a fix to the problem. Intel finally announces in December of 1994, that there would be a total recall, replacement, and destruction of all of the flawed processors. Something that should have happened months before. Finally, they have done right. Intel commits to purchase of all chips produced through the end of the year in January 1995. Intel sets aside 420 million dollars to cover costs of replacing all flawed processors upon request in mid-December 1994. If a flaw of this nature happened again...
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...President and CEO of Intel Corporation FT50812 Intel Pentium Chip Controversy December 17, 1994 Summary Intel’s reputation as a producer of quality microprocessors is being questioned. Public perception views Intel as insensitive to consumer concerns and overly profit driven. The investments Intel has made in the Pentium chip to secure a competitive advantage will be pointless if consumers lose trust in the Intel brand. Analysis of Issues Intel’s dilemma is whether to recall a product that is defective under certain conditions (p. 2).1 This decision requires consideration of the financial and operational issues, as well as the potential long-term impact to Intel’s competitive advantage in the computer industry and Intel’s relationships with companies that purchase microprocessors. These issues are further described below. Competitive Advantage The new Pentium chip is the embodiment of Intel’s advantage over other companies. Intel has the distinction of being first in the industry to engineer and produce microprocessors (p. 2). In addition, Intel has made significant investments in research and development to design the Pentium, has incurred significant expenditure in promotions, and has secured its investment with a name-based patent (p. 3). 1 All page numbers referenced herein are drawn from the following case study: Narayanan, V.C. (2002). The Intel Pentium Chip Controversy (A). Harvard Business School. 9-196-091. 1 Computer technology is a fast-paced industry...
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... Advantages here include the fact that the support team does not have to be burdened with solving simple file based queries by the employees. The areas of Designing GUI interfaces in Linux and Windows versus Linux Security were researched and a prototype has been designed, developed and tested. An evaluation of the overall success of the project has been conducted and recommendations for future work are also given. Words II. Table of Contents 1) Introduction.................................................................................................................................4 1.1 Overview........................................................................................................4 1.2 Sponsor Background...........................................................................................................5 1.3 Research Topics...............................................................................................5 2) Research Topic 1 – Security benefits of Linux OS compared to...
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