🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1f09bnINNkbo@rs1.rrz.Uni-Koeln.DE> kim@vax.mpiz-koeln.mpg.dbp.de writes:
>In <1992Nov24.184524.3830@newshost.lanl.gov> hutch@bellman.lanl.gov (John Hutchinson) writes:
>
>>The addition of an FPU such as the 68882 does not speed up a machine.  It
>>only helps crunch floating point math operations _if_ the software is
>>written so as to address an FPU if one exists.
>
>True, the mere addition of an FPU doesn't speed up anything,  the
>FPU  has  to  be  used  by  the  software, otherwise it's utterly
>useless. But if the software using the FPU ist the OS itself, the
>addition of an FPU can very well lead to a general speedup.


A FPU like the 68881/68882 does what the name says, i.e. floating
point (number crunching to you) calculations. Now what does an OS
do? It manages directories, files etc, all pretty mundane stuff,
and all character or integer - based. So if the OS doesn't do
floating point calculations (and lots of them) them you won't get
any speed up.

So what sort of things would benefit from a FPU? Well, 3D graphics
(where you need to calculate trig functions which are a LOT faster
with the FPU), CAD packages and the like. Unless you are interested
in these sort of things (I am), then a 68881/2 is a waste of money.

Keith.


*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Keith Sabine                              Phone: (44)-344-360333           *
* Cadence Design Systems UK Ltd,            Fax:   (44)-344-360324           *
* Bagshot Road,                             Email: keiths@cadence.com        *
* Bracknell,                                                                 *
* England RG12 3PH                          Standard Disclaimer:             *
*                                           'Ahem, this is my theory,        *
*                                           which is mine, all mine...'      *
*----------------------------------------------------------------------------*