Bruce Toback wrote:
> >[Eric writes]
> >> > I have read articles concerning multi-cpu processors that indicate
> >> > the Operating system divides up instructions between the available cpus
> >> > automatically.
> >
> >You're talking about research machines (at best), not practical usable
> >existing commerical computers.
>
> MPE (and most other multiprocessor-capable operating systems) do exactly
> this. However, as Stan points out, they split the instructions up on the
> basis of user-defined streams (processes or threads).

There may be some confusion of "parallel" here.  The discussion has to
this point dealt with multiple processors and multiple instruction
streams.  But we also have the cases of processors [recent Intels and
I think PA-RISC] which can execute certain instructions (in a given
stream of instructions) in parallel.  But this is limited to a single
instruction stream within a single processor.

Jeff Kell <[log in to unmask]>