Intel 8087 Reverse Engineering

TL;DR

A technical breakdown of how Intel handled math in the 80s by reverse engineering the actual silicon of the 8087 co-processor.

Who is this actually for?

Low-level engineers, retro-computing nerds, and anyone who thinks modern software abstractions are too bloated.

The Good

• Unmatched level of technical detail on logic gates and circuit layouts from Ken Shirriff.
• A great reality check on how much complexity was packed into ancient hardware without modern CAD tools.

The Catch (Potential Downsides)

Zero practical utility for your current SaaS project or CRUD app. You will need a solid grasp of digital logic to understand anything past the first paragraph.