[cmpaul]

Technical aspects aside (and congrats on the achievement!), I love the implications of the author's "Aside":

1. An otherwise inconvenient situation (snowpocalypse) was turned into a learning opportunity. I would've probably turned it into a Netflix binge.

2. People took the time to detail the CPU design in a document. I'm always looking for examples showing the benefits of documenting design (I'm an EM) and it's rare to find one that changes someone's life trajectory. :)

[brucedawson]

2004 was a bit early for a Netflix binge. Plus, the power was out, so there goes that plan.

The documentation that I read showed the pipelines in great deal, but they were badly presented such that the flows of data and time were obscured. My main contribution was to straighten out and simplify the diagrams, and then animate them. Well, and then explain them. It was definitely a CPU that required that level of detail.

[tomcam]

Agreed. I’m a pathetically slow learner so situations like #1 were always an essential part of how I got ahead of the curve. #2 is very cool also... but what is an EM?

[cshokie]

Based on the context most likely “Engineering Manager.

[cmpaul]

Bingo

[tomcam]

I had no clue! Thanks, parent and grandparent posters!