FAQ:

Q: Why didn't Intel call the Pentium the 586?
A: Because they added 486 and 100 on the first Pentium and got 585.999983605.
Q: What is the successor to RU-486 birth control drug?
A: The RU-Pentium, it prevents cells from dividing properly.
Q: How many Pentium designers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: 1.99904274107, but that's close enough for non-technical people.
Q: What's another name for the "Intel Inside" sticker they put on Pentium?
A: Warning label.

Top ten new intel slogans for the Pentium:

9.9999973251 It's a FLAW. Dammit, not a Bug
8.9999163362 It's Close Enough, We Say So
7.9999414610 Nearly 300 Correct Opcodes
6.9999831538 You Don't Need to Know What's Inside
5.9999835137 Redefining the PC--and Mathematics As Well
4.9999999021 We Fixed It, Really
3.9998245917 Division Considered Harmful
2.9991523619 Why Do You Think They Call It *Floating* Point?
1.9999103517 We're Looking for a Few Good Flaws
0.9999999998 The Errata Inside

The top ten reasons to buy a Pentium machine:

10. Your current computer is too accurate
9. You want to get into the Guinness Book of World Records as "owner of most expensive paperweight"
8. Math errors add zest to life
7. You need an alibi for the IRS
6. You want to see what all the fuss is about
5. You've always wondered what it would be like to be a plaintiff
4. The "Intel Inside" logo matches you decor perfectly
3. You no longer have to worry about CPU overheating
2. You got a great deal from JPL
1. It'll probably work

Popular acronyms:

APPLE: Arrogance Produces Profit-Losing Entity
BASIC: Bill's Attempt to Seize Industry Control
CD-ROM: Consumer Device - Rendered Obsolete in Months
COBOL: Completely Obsolete Business Oriented Language
DEC: Do Expect Cuts
DOS: Defunct (Defective) Operating System
IBM: I Blame Microsoft
LISP: Lots of Infuriating & Silly Parenthesis
MACINTOSH: Most Applications Crash; If Not, The Operating System Hangs
MICROSOFT: Most Intelligent Customers Realise Our Software Only Fools Teenagers
MIPS: Meaningless Indication of Processor Speed
OS/2: Obsolete Soon, Too.
PCMCIA: People Can't Memorise Computer Industry Acronyms
PENTIUM: Produces Erroneous Numbers Through Incorrect Understanding of Maths
RISC: Reduced Into Silly Code
SCSI: System Can't See It
WINDOWS: Will Install Needless Data On Whole System
WWW: World Wide Wait

Computer Terminology

486: The average IQ needed to understand a PC.
State-of-the-art: Any computer you can't afford.
Obsolete: Any computer you own.
Microsecond: The time it takes for your state-of-the-art computer to become obsolete.
G3: Apple's new Macs that make you say "Gee, three times faster than the computer I bought for the same price a Microsecond ago."
Syntax Error: Walking into a computer store and saying, "Hi, I want to buy a computer and money is no object."
Hard Drive: The sales technique employed by computer salesmen, esp. after a Syntax Error.
GUI: What your computer becomes after spilling your coffee on it.
Keyboard: The standard way to generate computer errors.
Mouse: An advanced input device to make computer errors easier to generate.
Floppy: The state of your wallet after purchasing a computer.
Portable Computer: A device invented to force businessmen to work at home, on vacation, and on business trips.
Disk Crash: A typical computer response to any critical deadline.
Power User: Anyone who can format a disk from DOS.
System Update: A quick method of trashing ALL of your software.


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Last update: June 4, 2003
Chulalongkorn University