I was in a local computer store and came across an Apple certifed
refurbished 2.0 GHz dual processor G5 machine for $800. I was
almost tempted to buy it. Some issues occured to me that perhaps
the rest of you can help me resolve. Here they are:
1. We're working on a Java project that makes extensive use of
threads, thread control, etc. We're using OS X, several Linux
versions, and numerous Windows variants for development and
testing. Everything looks good so far, but we haven't, at least to
the best of my knowledge, tested the product against machines using
2 (or more) processors...probably because they cost so much. We
also have tested our products against machines with varying CPU
speeds (for OS X, 400M PPC up to the latest, FWIW, but it's all
single processor, unless you want to call the dual core Intels
"dual processor"...and I really don't know if that comparison is
fair). The question is quite simple: Could running the program on
a dual (or quad) machine expose problems that weren't transparent
under a single processing machine, or does the JVM see these
mutliple processors as a single entity and control the threads
accordingly? THE MORE I THINK ABOUT THIS ISSUE, THE MORE IT
FRIGHTENS ME!!!
Don't be frightened. The OS takes care of the dual processor, and
the JVM doesn't act any differently on single or dual processor
machines. I run Java on dual processor G5s every day, and I also run
Java on dual processor G5 cluster nodes in parallel. I also run the
exact code on a Windoze laptop. No problems.
2. With Apple making the move to Intel, how long will Java for PPC
machines, dual or single processor, even be supported? Since Java
SEEMS to be tied to OS releases, is there a detailed map of what
will and won't be supported in the future as well as a timeline?
I've heard that Apple's transition from 68000 based machines to PPC
machines wasn't exactly "friendly"....meaning that if you used an
old 68000 based machine within a year or two you were pretty much
stuck with old releases and updates, with your only option being to
get a new machine. This, of course, begs the question, is buying a
PPC machine, regardless of it's price, dual processor or not, even
worth doing?
3. I have to assume that PPC dual processor machines will be
replaced by Intel based equivalents. Is there a timeline for this
anywhere?
Thanks in advance to all that answer.
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