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Anticiparallelism
Anticiparallelism (Anticipatory Parallelism) is a term coined by Bob Metcalfe in 1998. It is a technique of using idle machine cycles to perform useful computing tasks in the background. Such tasks must be readily interrupted for intervals when the computer needs to return to its primary task. An example of such a task is transmitting e-mail. Anticiparalleism is also known as speculative execution, continual computation or optimistic execution. See also * Folding@home, a distributed computing project that uses idle processing resources of personal computers A personal computer, commonly referred to as PC or computer, is a computer designed for individual use. It is typically used for tasks such as Word processor, word processing, web browser, internet browsing, email, multimedia playback, and PC ... owned by volunteers who have installed the software on their systems References Further reading *{{cite journal , first=Bob , last=Metcalfe , date=September 14, 1998 , t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speculative Execution
Speculative execution is an optimization (computer science), optimization technique where a computer system performs some task that may not be needed. Work is done before it is known whether it is actually needed, so as to prevent a delay that would have to be incurred by doing the work after it is known that it is needed. If it turns out the work was not needed after all, most changes made by the work are reverted and the results are ignored. The objective is to provide more Concurrency (computer science), concurrency if extra Resource (computer science), resources are available. This approach is employed in a variety of areas, including branch predictor, branch prediction in instruction pipeline, pipelined CPU, processors, value prediction for exploiting value locality, prefetching Instruction prefetch, memory and File system, files, and optimistic concurrency control in Relational database management system, database systems. Speculative multithreading is a special case of specu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Metcalfe
Robert "Bob" Melancton Metcalfe (born April 7, 1946) is an American engineer and entrepreneur who contributed to the development of the internet in the 1970s. He co-invented Ethernet, co-founded 3Com, and formulated Metcalfe's law, which describes the effect of a telecommunications network. Metcalfe has also made several predictions which failed to come to pass, including forecasting the demise of the internet during the 1990s. Metcalfe has received various awards, including the IEEE Medal of Honor and National Medal of Technology and Innovation for his work developing Ethernet technology. In 2023, he received the Turing Award, the highest distinction in computer science. From 2011 to 2021, he was professor of innovation and entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin. Early life and family Robert Metcalfe was born in 1946 in New York, New York, to Ruth and Robert Metcalfe. He is of English, Irish, and Norwegian descent. His father was a test technician who speci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Idle (CPU)
Idle is a state that a computer processor is in when it is not being used by any program. Every program or task that runs on a computer system occupies a certain amount of processing time on the CPU. If the CPU has completed all tasks it is idle. Modern processors use idle time to save power. Common methods are reducing the clock speed along with the CPU voltage and sending parts of the processor into a sleep state. On processors that have a halt instruction that stops the CPU until an interrupt occurs, such as x86's HLT instruction, it may save significant amounts of power and heat if the idle task consists of a loop which repeatedly executes that instruction. Many operating systems, for example Windows, Linux, and macOS will run an idle task, which is a special task loaded by the OS scheduler on a CPU when there is nothing for the CPU to do. The idle task can be hard-coded into the scheduler, or it can be implemented as a separate task with the lowest possible priority. An ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Folding@home
Folding@home (FAH or F@h) is a distributed computing project aimed to help scientists develop new therapeutics for a variety of diseases by the means of simulating protein dynamics. This includes the process of protein folding and the movements of proteins, and is reliant on simulations run on volunteers' personal computers. Folding@home is currently based at the University of Pennsylvania and led by Greg Bowman, a former student of Vijay S. Pande, Vijay Pande. The project utilizes graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), and ARM architecture, ARM processors like those on the Raspberry Pi for distributed computing and scientific research. The project uses statistical simulation methodology that is a paradigm shift from traditional computing methods. As part of the client–server model network architecture, the volunteered machines each receive pieces of a simulation (work units), complete them, and return them to the project's database servers, where th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
