Python on multi-processor machines (Was Re: [Zope] Re: Windows vs. Linux)

[Guido van Rossum]

> Paul Browning wrote:
> > 
> > I don't think you are missing anything. The Python GIL is a bit of
> > a show-stopper - I've been suprised that this isn't more widely
> > known. Hoping I'm wrong nonetheless ....
> 
> I wonder if Guido has any comment on this?

I haven't seen the rest of the thread, so I don't know the context.

The GIL *is* widely known, and there's nothing that can be done about
it (without redesigning all of Python's runtime from scratch, anyway).

To use Python on multiple processors, the best thing to do is to
run multiple processes, rather than multiple threads.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)