IP: Intel's Moore possesses a rare mix of greatness, humility (4-12-2001)

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

[ I have had the honor of having sat with Gordon a number of times  and 
have seen the results of his influence in Intel, the coutry and world. He 
is of the order of Dave Packard .  djf]

  Intel's Moore possesses a rare mix of greatness, humility

BY DAN GILLMOR

Mercury News Technology Columnist

News and views, culled and edited from my online column, eJournal:

MOORE'S OTHER LAW Some of Silicon Valley's most talented people are also 
some of the least humble. So often, arrogance seems to go with brilliance.
But not in the case of a man who coined one of technology's most basic 
rules. When Gordon Moore, co-founder and former chairman and chief 
executive at chip maker Intel, steps down from the company's board next 
month, he'll take with him countless good wishes stemming from boundless 
admiration.

Moore's Law is a staple of our times, an incredible backbone of 
technology's progress. That the engineers here in the valley and around the 
world have relentlessly kept doubling processing power every 18 to 24 
months is an amazing feat, especially considering how long they've been 
doing it.

More astonishing is what we've done with microprocessors, the 
computers-on-chips Intel launched back in 1972. Moore's Law means more than 
increasing power. It also means chips keep getting smaller and cheaper.

In 1997, on the 25th anniversary of that historical pivot point, Moore 
recalled how he'd gone from room to room in his house, trying to imagine 
all the uses for chips, which increasingly are embedded in so much of what 
we touch. ``Think of a noun and put the adjective `intelligent' in front of 
it,'' he said then. If it makes sense, it's an application for a chip.
It makes sense everywhere you look -- at home, at work, at play. We all use 
dozens of computers each day.

There's something fitting about this latest Intel transition: Moore's 
replacement on the board is Reed Hundt, former chairman of the Federal 
Communications Commission. Hundt is a lawyer and, in a fundamental way, a 
politician whom Intel will find to be a helpful guide in an era when policy 
takes on more and more importance.

As Gordon Moore prepares to step down, let's remember a contribution he's 
made that is as valuable as any other -- he's been a beacon of civility in 
a frequently mean place.
Maybe we should coin another Moore's law: Greatness and humility can be 
part of the same person.

Dan Gillmor's column appears each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Visit Dan's 
online column, eJournal (weblog.mercurycenter.com/ejournal). E-mail 
dgillmor@sjmercury .com; phone (408) 920-5016; fax (408) 920-5917. PGP 
fingerprint: FE68 46C9 80C9 BC6E 3DD0 BE57 AD49 1487 CEDC 5C14.




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