From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Nic Ferrier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Threads in emacs implementation Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 11:28:19 +0100 Message-ID: <87fyvde30c.fsf@kanga.tapsellferrier.co.uk> References: <6dbd4d0005060619227dd41364@mail.gmail.com> <87vf4oaft8.fsf@zemdatav.stor.no-ip.org> <4nd5quav0o.fsf@lifelogs.com> <4nll5btxv7.fsf@lifelogs.com> <4nvf4eqnec.fsf@lifelogs.com> <4nzmtpqdlp.fsf@lifelogs.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1119263735 26965 80.91.229.2 (20 Jun 2005 10:35:35 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 20 Jun 2005 10:35:35 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Ted Zlatanov , emacs-devel@gnu.org, miles@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Jun 20 12:35:31 2005 Return-path: Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DkJcp-0002tD-2g for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 20 Jun 2005 12:35:31 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DkJj1-00040b-6Q for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 20 Jun 2005 06:41:55 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DkJgW-0003Px-QO for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Jun 2005 06:39:22 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1DkJgS-0003Ou-GE for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Jun 2005 06:39:18 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1DkJgR-0003Hy-Uq for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 20 Jun 2005 06:39:16 -0400 Original-Received: from [80.168.156.78] (helo=owls-tree.tapsellferrier.co.uk) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (TLS-1.0:RSA_AES_128_CBC_SHA:16) (Exim 4.34) id 1DkJah-00079f-D9; Mon, 20 Jun 2005 06:33:19 -0400 Original-Received: from [217.207.145.34] (helo=kanga) by owls-tree.tapsellferrier.co.uk with esmtp (Exim 4.50 #1 (Debian)) id 1DkJVn-0005zt-TC; Mon, 20 Jun 2005 11:28:16 +0100 Original-Received: from nferrier by kanga with local (Exim 4.50) id 1DkJVs-0000RE-A0; Mon, 20 Jun 2005 11:28:20 +0100 Original-To: snogglethorpe@gmail.com In-Reply-To: (Miles Bader's message of "Mon, 20 Jun 2005 11:11:05 +0900") X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:39166 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:39166 Miles Bader writes: > On 6/17/05, Ted Zlatanov wrote: >> This will make threads more of a utility than a true built-in, and >> threaded code would be written especially for that purpose. > > Do you know of any applications that require this? For many purposes, > using timers etc. seems to work fairly well already. > > The main reason I can see for wanting threading is to allow users to > continue using Emacs in one window while waiting for another window > that's doing something (e.g. Gnus updating over a dialup). However > that level of functionality is hard to implement. I think that's the problem isn't it? Analysis of what benefit Emacs could get from threads. We don't need threads for improving GNUs - we just need better async protocol implementations. They will come, slowly, but surely. I think threads would be most useful for things like fontification and parsing (eg: in xml buffers). When you think about these applications a bolt on thread model looks less attractive. Nic