Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!mandrill!hal!oxtrap!rich From: rich@oxtrap.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.emacs Subject: Re: parallel gemacs? Message-ID: <2207@oxtrap.UUCP> Date: Sun, 22-Nov-87 18:20:28 EST Article-I.D.: oxtrap.2207 Posted: Sun Nov 22 18:20:28 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 25-Nov-87 07:11:49 EST References: <8711161952.AA13337@icst-cmr.arpa.ARPA> <8711171803.AA27592@oxtrap.UUCP> Reply-To: rich@oxtrap.UUCP (K. Richard Magill) Organization: Oxford TP, Ann Arbor Lines: 75 WHATS GOING ON HERE!!! I SENT THIS AS MAIL!!! In article <8711171803.AA27592@oxtrap.UUCP> rich@oxtrap.UUCP ("K. Richard Magill") writes: > > Date: Mon, 16 Nov 87 14:52:37 EST > From: Root Boy Jim > > Can anyone verify the feasability of lack thereof of a parallel > version of gnu-emacs? What I want to know is, is there a good reason > that eval, map*, etc. cannot be done in parallel? Like, does the > existing lisp code presume sequential execution? > > Maybe yes, maybe no. It probably doesn't matter. The relevant question is > what percent of your program can be done in parallel. If only ten percent > of your program can be done in parallel, and the rest must be done serially, > then even an infinite number of processors will only give you a 10% speedup. > > Sequent's parallel processing stuff works by creating or using multiple > processes. In this case, the synchronization would probably overwhelm > the speedup. Don't bother. > >You might be surprised at how tightly atomic lock memory and shared >physical memory syncronize. We aren't talking signals and sleeps >here. It's that 10% of the time when I run a moderate chuck of lisp >that I'd like to see sped up by an infinite factor. 90% of the time >emacs is faster than I am, but 10%... > > rich. > > (Root Boy) Jim Cottrell > National Bureau of Standards > Flamer's Hotline: (301) 975-5688 > Why are these athletic shoe salesmen following me?? filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler filler