[ubuntu-uk] Quad core CPU for Ubuntu, is it worth it?

[Rob Beard]

Ian Pascoe wrote:
> Just to add a little more onto this thread.
> 
> As Alan correctly suggests the kernel is clever enough to be able to run
> multiple applications simultaneously on each of the seperate processor
> cores.
> 
> But the problem lies in that very few applications currently have been set
> up to utilise multi threading - that is to say an application can spread
> it's load over multiple cores within the same machine.
> 
> If I've got this right, and I'm willing to be corrected, there aren't that
> many libraries that are true multi threading - GCC is to have such a module
> incorporated in the very near future and I believe that Python also has such
> a library.  And that I think is that for the main players.
> 
> So, for the video and audio apps that Rob may be using, on a multi core
> processor each app would / could be run on it's own core, but unless there
> were some really intense apps in use, I doubt if the quad would be
> stretched.
> 
> E
> 
> 

I did actually read something on The Inquirer yesterday about the 
software not keeping up with the hardware, it said about the same sort 
of thing - multithreading software isn't widely available yet.

Maybe next year will be the year of the multithreading Linux desktop?

My other half is happy now, because I've decided to go for a cheaper 
dual core CPU she gets an upgrade too.

Rob