nanogui: Suggestion for adding nanowm into graphic server!
Subject:
Re: [nanogui] Re: Suggestion for adding nanowm into graphic server!
From:
Alex Holden ####@####.####
Date:
6 Aug 2002 07:13:34 -0000
Message-Id: <3D4F73D3.10902@linuxhacker.org>
Aaron J. Grier wrote:
> one of the outstanding core issues on my nano-X wishlist is to make it
> fully reentrant. it seems like anything else involving clever hacks to
> link multiple tasks into the server is just sidestepping this issue.
> there are plenty of embedded systems without virtual memory where a
> reentrant nano-X would be a big win.
I think that's easier said than done. Allowing multiple threads in the
server would need locks sprinkling all over the place. Anywhere the
screen is drawn to probably (to avoid two threads drawing on the same
part of the screen at the same time), and anywhere shared resources such
as windows and pixmaps are accessed (to make sure one thread can't
destroy them while they're still being used by another). Which leaves
you without a whole lot of stuff that _can_ safely be done by two
threads at once. It's not like in an OS kernel where one thread can
safely talk to a disk controller while another talks to a network card.
Another question: what "flavour" of OS threads would be guaranteed to
work on both Linux and all the embedded systems we might want to run on?
Pthreads?
--
------------ Alex Holden - http://www.linuxhacker.org ------------
If it doesn't work, you're not hitting it with a big enough hammer
