Pentium Docs Ordering Info

[Dennis Marer]

> David said....

> You said you have ordered the documentation for the Pentium.  You
> didn't say how to do this.  How do I do this?

Sorry - this can be ordered through Intel Literature:

	Intel Literature
	1(800)548-4725

	Pentium Processor Three Volume Set
	Item #: 241563
	$70+tax+shipping

I received it last week, and it's very interesting!  They've done some neat
things with optimization, and I think it'll fly!

One thing about "Appendix H" - this is the information available by non-
disclosure only.  There are many references to it, but all of them involve
things the average programmer would not be interested in.  Some of the
status bits returned by the CPUID function to identify features are described
only in Appendix H, as well as the "RDTSC" instruction - any guesses what
that stands for?  I have no clue...  There is also some information on how
they sped up the handling of Virtual 8086 mode tasks and the addition info
which (might be) stored in the Task State Segment.

I think if you were an operating systems designed, you'd want to know what
exists in Appendix H - even compiler designers might not find much interesting
there.  I don't really agree on hiding that info, but I guess the point is to
make it that much more difficult for other manufacturers to copy their
chips.  If you don't know all the features, how can you imitate it?  In any
case, it'll only stay secret for a short time before somebody leaks the info
but that gives Intel a competitive edge, I suppose.

Sure love to take a peek at it though...


> > Just a guess: The P6 will do instruction ordering optimization on the fly. :-)
> 
> P6?
> If they follow the new naming, shouldn't it be Hexium?

Hmm...I thought "Sexium" was the next name. :-)

Seriously, I don't think a name has been chosen.  It's even called something
different than the 'P6' around here (but I can't remember what) but until a
name is announced, it's easy to remember.  They'll probably continue using
their new naming strategy, but "Hexium", "Heptium", "Octium", "Neptium", and
"Decium" sound pretty silly.  :-p


Laterz!

	Dennis