Wasn't this also one of the last chips laid out by hand (literally the masks were cut and laid out physically)? Or am I thinking of something else?
I sometimes wonder if some design decisions were made on that basis.
I sometimes wonder if some design decisions were made on that basis.
You might think that the 8087's shifter would be a regular grid, easy to lay out by hand. It turns out to be very optimized and irregular. (I traced it out by hand and it was a pain.)