Re: [PATCH 3/3] 64-bit futexes: x86 support

From: Ulrich Drepper
Date: Fri May 30 2008 - 23:19:04 EST


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Linus Torvalds wrote:
> Also, doesn't this mean that effectively you have given up on any CPU
> before the Pentium entirely?

Yes, but only for the speed-up. Not for the functionality. All
programs will work just fine.


> Not that I want to take the patches _anyway_, but it seems doubly stupid.
> Those things are going to be UP machines, so you could have just emulated
> it with no correctness issues by disabling preemption.

First, you're thinking too much in kernel terms. At userlevel I cannot
disable interrupts etc. I cannot read 64 bits atomically on those
processors. Second, the old implementation is not significantly slower
in normal programs on UP machines. It's really not a big issue.


In any case, robbing 64-bit architectures of the possible performance
gain just because there are ancient versions which cannot do it is just
plain stupid. I know you cannot suggest that.

- --
â Ulrich Drepper â Red Hat, Inc. â 444 Castro St â Mountain View, CA â
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