On Thu, 21 Jan 2016 21:30:16 -0000, Ian Field wrote:



"Mr Macaw" wrote in message news
On Thu, 21 Jan 2016 18:33:31 -0000, Ian Field
wrote:



"Mr Macaw" wrote in message
news On Wed, 20 Jan 2016 21:55:50 -0000, Ian Field
wrote:



"Mr Macaw" wrote in message
news On Thu, 14 Jan 2016 11:37:56 -0000, Trent .****of
wrote:

On Wed, 13 Jan 2016 13:05:47 -0000 "Mr Macaw" wrote in
Message id: :

On Wed, 13 Jan 2016 13:01:40 -0000, Trent .****of
wrote:

On Wed, 13 Jan 2016 12:03:30 -0000 "Mr Macaw" wrote
in
Message id: :

Just out of interest, how does a hardware bug in a CPU get fixed
by
a
software BIOS update? Isn't the bug a physical misconnection in
the
circuits?

Microcode updates.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/microcode

So the bug was in the firmware of the CPU, not the physical
circuitry?

I've never heard of or done a CPU firmware update. Are they
included
with motherboard BIOS updates?

Yes, the manufacturer of the MB releases a BIOS update to correct the
issue. For this particular errata, Intel has given the MB
manufacturers
the information needed to do this.

I've read in MB BIOS update instructions that it fixes X to do with
the
CPU, but I always assumed that was a motherboard fault where it didn't
work with new types of CPU etc.

Is that another one you broke on purpose?

I don't have a Skylake. My i5 3570K is working fine. Skylake is only a
third faster, no point in upgrading.

So its just advance planning how to break it when you do get one.

I was just interested how a hardware fault could be fixed by software.
See if I burst my car tyre, can I just upload a fix to my car's on board
computer?

You just download a certain episode of Futurama and it turns into a
hovercar.

Hovervans are more versatile.

--
One workman asks another, "How long have you been working here?"
The other one replies, "Since they threatened to fire me."