From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Nic Ferrier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Are there plans for a multi-threaded Emacs? Date: 04 Dec 2003 15:58:11 +0000 Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: <87ptf4zib0.fsf@kanga.tapsellferrier.co.uk> References: <87oevbes4h.fsf@emacswiki.org> <20031117040607.C6C5D79B72@server2.messagingengine.com> <87ekvpx18d.fsf@emptyhost.emptydomain.de> <4nad6cikxy.fsf@holmes.bwh.harvard.edu> <4nllpt3hr3.fsf@lockgroove.bwh.harvard.edu> <5bad69zd43.fsf@lister.roxen.com> <4noeuon378.fsf@lockgroove.bwh.harvard.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1070553885 4045 80.91.224.253 (4 Dec 2003 16:04:45 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 4 Dec 2003 16:04:45 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Thu Dec 04 17:04:42 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1ARvy5-0001L1-00 for ; Thu, 04 Dec 2003 17:04:41 +0100 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1ARvy5-0001K4-00 for ; Thu, 04 Dec 2003 17:04:41 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1ARwuJ-0001Mc-8N for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Thu, 04 Dec 2003 12:04:51 -0500 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.24) id 1ARwrk-00011J-IP for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 04 Dec 2003 12:02:12 -0500 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.24) id 1ARwpt-0000nB-Dr for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 04 Dec 2003 12:00:50 -0500 Original-Received: from [80.168.153.201] (helo=tf1.tapsellferrier.co.uk) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.24) id 1ARwph-0000mT-MZ for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 04 Dec 2003 12:00:05 -0500 Original-Received: from [80.168.156.74] (helo=kanga.tapsellferrier.co.uk) by tf1.tapsellferrier.co.uk with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1ARvrw-0002h0-00; Thu, 04 Dec 2003 15:58:20 +0000 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=kanga.tapsellferrier.co.uk ident=nferrier) by kanga.tapsellferrier.co.uk with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1ARvro-0002Pa-00; Thu, 04 Dec 2003 15:58:12 +0000 Original-To: storm@cua.dk (Kim F. Storm) In-Reply-To: Original-Lines: 33 X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 Precedence: list List-Id: Emacs development discussions. List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:18374 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:18374 storm@cua.dk (Kim F. Storm) writes: > I still wonder why people want multi-threading in Elisp -- IMHO, emacs > works just fine without it! > > I admit (synchronous) GNUS is a problem, but except for that, I don't > really see that much code which will benefit vastly from being executed > by a multi-threaded emacs. > > And for GNUS, you can just run two instances of emacs on your > multi-tasking OS. > > Likewise, if you have some vast app writting in Elisp, just start > a second emacs to run it. I had wanted threads in elisp a while ago when I was working far away from my home site. I was sending mail using my home MTA from Emacs on a windows desktop. It was slow, really, really slow at connecting to the MTA. I've solved the problem now of course, I use a laptop with GNU on it and run a local MTA and have that send stuff to my home MTA. But if Emacs had threads I wouldn't have needed to do that. Hmmm... maybe if most of the threading issues are with socket communication then better sentinels would be a good idea. Maybe a callback API for setting up and reading/writing to sockets would really useful. Such an API would be a doddle to write of course. Nic