"I think it is nice to have at least one example -- IEEE 754 is one -- where sleaze did not triumph. CDC, Cray and IBM could have weighed in and destroyed the w

"I think it is nice to have at least one example -- IEEE 754 is one -- where sleaze did not triumph. CDC, Cray and IBM could have weighed in and destroyed the whole thing had they so wished. Perhaps CDC and Cray thought `Microprocessors? Why should we worry?' In the end, all computer systems designers must try to make our things work well for the innumerable ( innumerate ?) programmers upon whom we all depend for the existence of a burgeoning market." Indeed, we programmers are very lucky that IEEE p754 won and became the ubiquitous standard.