Can someone explain to me why IRQ's are so frustrating and limiting?

[CTho9305]

well, I only used 128 bit in my post because I'm under the impression that 64-bit processors are currently pretty much set in the standards they'll use. I would not have any problem with extra IRQ's on 64 bit systems 😉

 

[faolan]

IRQ listing
9 Microsoft ACPI-Compliant System
27 Compaq PCI Hot Plug Controller (CPQPHP installed)
27 Compaq PCI Hot Plug Controller (CPQPHP installed)
33 Compaq Advanced System Management Controller
33 Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller
26 Compaq 32-Bit Ultra SCSI Controller /P
25 Compaq 32-Bit Ultra SCSI Controller /P
8 System CMOS/real time clock
12 PS/2 Compatible Mouse
1 Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural PS/2 Keyboard
6 Standard floppy disk controller
4 Communications Port (COM1)
14 Primary IDE Channel
21 Compaq NC3131 Fast Ethernet NIC
20 Compaq NC3131 Fast Ethernet NIC #2
17 Compaq StorageWorks 64-Bit/66-MHz Fibre Host Bus Adapter

Anyone care to stop by, and explain APIC modes? I don't know much about it beyond a few things. It's part of the Intel multiprocessor specification, and is what allows the above IRQ situation. (It goes up around 40-50 IRQ's.). By what I know, this could be done just fine on a single processor system as well, so now it's just a question of why this hasn't made it to the desktop arena.
/me runs off

 

[faolan]

(Off topic reply to the 64 and 128 bit discussion).

Minor tidbit to throw in, Transmeta Crusoe processors are currently 128 bit CPUs, with 256bit ones in the pipeline...

 

[schizoid]

The point is, there isn't (and will NEVER, and not in the euphamistic "..well, they've said that before" sense, but the REAL, NEVER, sense) be a need to address more that 2^64 chunks of memory.

EVER.

So, a 32 bit machine usually means 2 things: 32 bit instructions and a 32 bit address space (note that I said usually...this is the conventional sense of the term). So, yes, there will be computers with more that 64 bit instructions (I mentioned VLIW), and it is concievable some other ISA would need huge-ass instructions. But the point is, you'll never need to address that much memory.

EVER.

 

[Agent004]

If anyone bothered to look a few topics down, there are topics concerning the limits of cpu. Couple of months ago, 210GHz transisters were only probable, not possible.

The point is you may never know how much you need until you needed. For people think 2^64 bits of memory is big( enough to address the entire universe' atoms from a few post above), did you know the number of neural connections in our small and insignificant brains, is 1 followed 800 zeros per head( word?)!!( By Tony buzan, Know Your Head).That's a number so much bigger than number of atoms in the universe.

e.g, so if I want to use the ram to simiulate the function of the brain, how neural connections works together, I will need at least 1 followed by 800 zero bits of ram, assuming that each bit of memory addressing response one individual neural connection. With overheads and etc, 2^64 is definitely NOT enough.

 

[MadRat]

I'd think they'll try to mimick insect or animal brains long before human brains. 😉

Just a tidbit about your brains: Prenatal development is such an interesting career field. I only had the pleasure to scratch the surface of it. IMHO, next to computers and sports, that is one of the most attention grabbing topics! Did you know every nerve is your body extends from your brain? Your brain is the source of every nerve in the body! Even more interesting is that the nerves form at the same time as your blood vessels. The tissue from nerves is closely related to the tissue in your blood vessels. It just gets wierder and wierder as you learn more!