[OT] multicore/cpu history

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Sun, 25 Mar 2018 23:29:07 +0200, Peter J. Holzer wrote:

[...]
>> >> By the way, multiple CPU machines are different from CPUs with
>> >> multiple cores:
>> >>
>> >> http://smallbusiness.chron.com/multiple-cpu-vs-multicore-33195.html
>> > 
>> > Yeah, it was always "multiple CPUs", not "multiple cores" when I was
>> > growing up.
> 
> Yes, but the difference is only an implementation detail.

Not really. With multiple CPUs, you have the option of running two 
distinct OSes in isolation, not merely virtual machines but actual 
distinct machines in the same box. And the CPUs don't necessarily need to 
be the same type, see for example the hybrid Apple Mac/Lisp Machine 
released in the late 1980s or early 90s.

Of course, today, virtualisation is in many practical senses virtually as 
good (pun intended) as actual distinct machines with distinct CPUs, and 
the cost of adding multiple cores is typically cheaper than adding 
multiple CPUs, so there's little point unless you're working with serious 
supercomputer hardware where you need more cores than will fit on a 
single chip.



-- 
Steve