Re: [[e-mail]: Re: generic rwsem [Re: Alpha "process table hang"]]

[Jamie Lokier]

Linus Torvalds wrote:
> For i386 and i486, there is no reason to try to maintain a complex fast
> case. The machines are unquestionably going away - we should strive to not
> burden them unnecessarily, but we should _not_ try to save two cycles.
...
> Icache is also precious on the 386, which has no L2 in 99% of all cases.
> Make it out-of-line.

AFAIK, only some 386 clones have a cache -- the Intel ones do not.
Therefore saving icache is not an issue, and the cycle cost of an out of
line call is somewhat more than two cycles.

-- Jamie