[Python-Dev] GIL, Python 3, and MP vs. UP (was Re: Variant of removing GIL.)

[Martin Blais]

On 9/18/05, Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> wrote:
> On 9/17/05, John J Lee <jjl at pobox.com> wrote:
> > c. Since time is needed to iron out bugs (and perhaps also to reimplememt
> >    some pieces of code "from scratch"), very early in the life of Python 3
> >    seems like the least-worst time to begin work on such a change.
> >
> > I realize that not all algorithms (nor all computational problems) scale
> > well to MP hardware.  Is it feasible to usefully compile both MP and a UP
> > binaries from one Python source code base?
> 
> That's an understatement. I expect that *most* problems (even most
> problems that we will be programming 10-20 years from now) get little
> benefit out of MP.

Some are saying it won't be a matter of choice if we want to get the
software to run faster (you know, that "MORE MORE MORE!" thing we all
seem to suffer from):

http://www.gotw.ca/publications/concurrency-ddj.htm
The Free Lunch Is Over: A Fundamental Turn Toward Concurrency in Software
Herb Sutter
March 2005