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Subject: Re: More Microsoft annoyances ...part 2

Author: Robert Hyatt

Date: 07:39:35 08/14/01

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On August 14, 2001 at 00:44:43, Slater Wold wrote:

>Oh, and like the MS clip said, there are programs that when run under Windows 98
>or ME will USE a 2nd CPU.  But they are not going through the OS.  CAD and even
>the deep programs will use a 2nd CPU under Windows 98 and ME.  However, 40 print
>jobs on a 8x700 running Windows ME will only use 1 CPU.
>
>I think I am preaching to the choir there though.
>
>
>Slate


The "deep" programs won't use the second cpu.  Everyone is using some form of
"threads" which requires O/S support to schedule them on the second cpu.  Since
the O/S is no aware of the second processor, it won't schedule a thread on them
ever.  It would be up to a very clever programmer to disable interrupts, then
set the APIC up so that the second cpu never gets an interrupt, and never does
anything that would cause I/O to happen, and then use it to do the search.  I
don't think you will find many programs that will _ever_ use that second
processor because the code would be highly platform-specific.  Different
motherboards handle SMP differently and the engine would have to know about all
of that.

Not likely nor practical.  Which is why we want O/S thread support.



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