Restructure your code for multiprocessor Macs and take advantage of SMP with the help of Cocoa. Elsewhere, you will find a tutorial of Real Basic under Mac OS X, the 21st in the long series.
Multiprocessor Work Sharing with Cocoa; Real Basic Tutorials
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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the reason that Apple was even selling dual processor machines was to make up to the lake of performance in there chips.
???
If the software you are running isnt written properly for a multi-cpu environment it doesnt matter how many cpus you have. You will gain some speed when running many applications simultaneous with serveral cpus (depends on the os). But a single application will not run any faster if it doesnt take advantage of the extra cpu’s (threads etc.).
Depends on OS.
In BeOS every native GUI app has at least two threads and so can use multi-CPU configs without special efforts.
It’s not really the OS that it depends on. It’s not because of BeOS that all the threads are like that, but how the applications are designed. BeOS basically forced the multithreaded part, but it’s not really because of the underlining OS, but because of the applications creating that 2nd thread that it’s done like that.
If you don’t really know what you are doing you can often end up with applications running slower across 2 (or more) CPU’s than on just 1. The main problem is cache thrashing whereby a CPU has to flush its data cache and reload it all (expensive for CPU to do) because the other CPU updated some piece of common memory. If both threads/CPU’s keep doing that to each other they will crawl.
What exactly did the 2 default app threads do in BeOS?
“BeOS basically forced the multithreaded part, but it’s not really because of the underlining OS, but because of the applications creating that 2nd thread that it’s done like that.”
It is, partially – see below:
“Re:Out if interest…”
App with GUI automatically obtains its “twin-thread” in application server. Not that you are forced to create two tread manually-explicitly.
That thread in app-server is in responce for lot of work, in some other OS-es done traditionally by app itself, mainly drawing, clipping etc.
Also, if to say about forced miltithreading, it means, at first, simple fact – once you create next window in your app, it is separate thread automatically also. So any multiwindowed app takes benefit from multiprocessing that way.
New 4 processor Macs? Really? Where? (drool) :^)
“the lake of performance in there chips. ”
No, the lack of a ramp up in clock speed. The G4 has always been fast enough performance wise for almost anyone. But, MHz is all that matters, right?
Well, I think if you talked to most people, most people would agree that they don’t really need to have a multi-giga-hertz machine.
Another aspect not commonly looked at is whether or not the over all machine is a balanced design. I’ve seen people buy a 2.6Ghz machine with a dog slow hard disk and then complain they have a slow computer and “how can this be possible, we’ve just bought it”.
The one aspect of Apple computers I do like is because of the holistic approach Apple take to designing a computer system. Rather than just assuming the customer only wants a super-duper-ultra-fast computer, they also want one that comes with a decent about of software for the whole family, a good technical support structure and good integration between the operating system and hardware.
If you looked at a Dell (Dull) and compared it to an Apple, what do you get with Dull? Windows XP Home Edition, Works Suite and maybe, if you’re lucky a grab-bag full of OEM software yet on the other hand you have an Apple which comes with MacOS X, Apple Works, Encyclopedia, assortment of games and to top it off, a place where by people can go to download the latest MacOS X compatible software. Sure, Windows does have that, however, how many are prepared to hunt through 1000s of files on tucows or winfiles to look for something that is remotely useful?
“If you looked at a Dell (Dull) and compared it to an Apple, what do you get with Dull? Windows XP Home Edition, Works Suite and maybe, if you’re lucky a grab-bag full of OEM software yet on the other hand you have an Apple which comes with MacOS X, Apple Works, Encyclopedia, assortment of games and to top it off, a place where by people can go to download the latest MacOS X compatible software. Sure, Windows does have that, however, how many are prepared to hunt through 1000s of files on tucows or winfiles to look for something that is remotely useful?”
[sarcasm]I guess that must be why 95% of all computer users are using Macs, right?
And what is that supposed to mean? I could point out that in a particular country smoking is on the rise, does that mean that they’re wiser than the rest? take a leaf from a famous greek philospher who stated that the most popular decision is not always the correct one.
“take a leaf from a famous greek philospher who stated that the most popular decision is not always the correct one.”
The Greeks thought all non-greeks were barbarians. Too many Mac users think Pc users are the same.
Of which you completely missed the whole point of my original post.
It is shocking when I see people simply make decisions on the basis of which is more popular instead of what is the correct decision.