mo@messy.bellcore.com (Michael O'Dell) (11/16/90)
Yes, there were certainly some performance problems, but it is the ONLY machine I know of which understood coroutines and processes at such a deep level. Frankly, the design, coupled with fast caches on-chip, might be a very interesting thing to consider if you want lots of processes and fast context switching. At some point, if you context switch often enough, putting things in registers can cost more than it saves. So, if you postulate an environment with enough processes and enough switching, a 990 style machine with good, fast, local caches might well win. -Mike
EAF@.Prime.COM (11/16/90)
The AT&T 32000 chip set also understood processes at the chip level. Can't testify to co-routines. Ed