An Interview with Josh Fisher: Inventing VLIW, Multiflow, Itanium, VLIW’s Massive Success

Bob Colwell's "The Pentium Chronicles" offers a unique insider's perspective on the development of Intel's Pentium Pro processor. The book delves into the technical challenges, design decisions, and performance trade-offs involved in creating this groundbreaking chip. Colwell shares valuable insights into the engineering process, highlighting both successes and setbacks. He also touches upon the cultural dynamics within Intel during this period, providing a glimpse into the company's internal workings. The book serves as a valuable resource for anyone interested in computer architecture, processor design, and the history of Intel.

Elizabeth Fisher's book recounts the founding, development, challenges, and eventual liquidation of Multiflow, a startup built to commercialize VLIW computer ideas. Drawing on her close personal access as the founder's spouse, she provides detailed narrative of technical decisions, company culture, fundraising, and the pressures of the 1980s minicomputer market. The book highlights the interplay between audacious technical vision and harsh business realities, showing how engineering successes did not guarantee commercial survival. It profiles key figures, the development of the Trace machines, and the compiler-hardware tradeoffs central to Multiflow's approach. The account serves both as a business case study and an intimate history of an influential but ultimately unsuccessful company.