Re: [9fans] Plan9 multi-core support

["Kurt H Maier via 9fans" <9fans@9fans.net>]

On Mon, Aug 28, 2023 at 12:32:55PM +0000, G B via 9fans wrote:
>  Windows and Linux began on single-core single processor machines. Multiprocessor had been around for some time--IBM's System 360 began using multi-processors in 1968--but not for x86. Plan 9 first edition came out in 1992, at a time when multicore didn't exist, and multicore was released with IBM's Power 4 in 2001. 
> I can see why someone would ask if Plan 9 supports multicore. Plan 9 3rd edition was released in 2000 and 4th edition was released in 2002. In each case, going from single core-single processor to multiprocessor and then from multiprocessor to multicore would require changes in the operating system to recognize the extra processors and then the cores.

Symmetric multiprocessing was available in 1992, even on x86
machines.  Multics, tops-10, and various unixes all supported it by then.
Once you have shared-memory SMP there's little difference between
multiprocessor and multicore.  Plan 9's implementation is imo cleaner
than most of what came before, but by 1992 there was a lot of
multiprocessing going on in the world.

khm

------------------------------------------
9fans: 9fans
Permalink: https://9fans.topicbox.com/groups/9fans/T912e4838cb1a371f-M782fd3f6b87a6f36612c7cfd
Delivery options: https://9fans.topicbox.com/groups/9fans/subscription