[ydl-gen] Cell Processor

[Derick Centeno]

Hi Thomas,

A short response to your questions, in order are:

Yes.  Thinking.  No.  IBM.

Now that we all clear, I'll elaborate just a wee bit because the  
references I'm going to refer you to is quite a forest of information  
-- and there are no machetes (shortcuts).

Difficulty:
The essential problem programmers face (together with nearly everyone  
else) has been described within Philosophy and Psychology as a  
Paradigm problem.  Essentially this means a structured set of ideas  
which are written into code for machines to implement.  The  
instructions or code presented to the machines may be inventive but  
they are nonetheless structured and follow a series of collectively  
agreed upon assumptions.  It is debatable whether these assumptions  
are easily changed prior to implementing the instructions in software  
or building the hardware.  The skills and services involved do  
influence one another in powerful and surprising ways, but when an  
idea is implemented it always requires study and review regarding  
it's effectiveness and value.  Simply stated sometimes there exists a  
lag where apparently endless discussions addressing apparent minutiae  
occurs and then just as suddenly there are spurts or bursts of  
insightful and astounding comprehension.

A brief consideration of what went into IBM's Cell: 30 years of  
research of world class scientists, which includes supercooled metals  
which contributes to removing friction (expressed as heat) such that  
electrons move through circuitry effortlessly; the implementation of  
advanced mathematics brought via the insight gained from exploring  
Benoit Mendolbrot's (an IBM Research Fellow) fractals.  This and more  
is what IBM's hardware engineers brought forth as the Cell.

The software engineers and programmers, external to IBM are still  
learning what this thing can do.
What is already clear however is that although all the already  
commonly available code prepared for Intel and other commonly  
available (or even earlier generation PowerPC) processors can be  
executed upon recompilation within the Cell and executed -- none of  
it approaches using a fraction of the capacity of any one of the  
available PPC cores or SPUs, nor does anything currently coded exist  
to fully implement the capacity available in the Cell.

This is the "sticking point" because now the problem is not the Cell;  
it is rather what to do with it.  This is something akin to a 17 year  
old having a Lamborghini for $20.  The difference is that while he/ 
she can work out his/her impulses via the PS3 Game OS s/he can also  
be on the same "floor" together with the best programmers on the  
planet in learning how to implement the Cell well.  Now that's a  
level "playing field", and just like that 17 year old who opened up  
the iPhone -- the opportunity for a young mind free of learned  
structured assumptions has the opportunity to do fresh programming  
that has never even been conceived of.  This is both a real problem  
and opportunity.  This time titles or laurels are not as important as  
solid study skills, disciplined determination and insight dedicated  
to constructive learning.

Although I'm discussing just the field of computing, the overall  
process and problem of a paradigm was elaborated and explored in more  
detail by Thomas Kuhn in his work "The Structure of Scientific  
Revolutions" (ISBN-13: 978-0226458083).

Tracking processors:
The question you raise is really a very interesting one because it  
reflects the traditional view or approach of current professionals in  
nearly every field.  It is because of this collective mindset that  
discovering anything really new or proceeding in a new direction in  
software (or any other endeavor -- take your pick: Politics,  
Religion, Whatever) is very much a challenge.  Seriously upon deep  
analysis nearly any approach is a modified rehash of whatever has  
been attempted before.  This is exactly where, and very few human  
societies are ready for this, what is "tried and true" -- fails.   
Human Societies are terrible at adapting to new situations quickly or  
well, many choose denial as the preferred method in confronting  
oncoming realities.

However, the opportunity remains for those who will resist succumbing  
to denial or the collective mindset surrounding their environment to  
apply constructive effort towards developing a thorough foundation so  
that constructive development and contributions can be explored,  
tested and implemented.  Engaging upon such a path is difficult for  
anyone because it is much easier to cooperate and get paid, by the  
commonly accepted and established ways of participating with the  
"tried and true" way of doing things.  Remember that Da Vinci engaged  
in all the madness of his time never allowing any hint or indication  
of the personal research or effort he was engaged upon deeply.  What  
is very interesting in our time is that open source, as a concept,  
may counter the need or the impulse to respond as Da Vinci did to a  
dangerous and still mostly superstitious world.

The opportunity is very real, but seeing it and implementing it are  
challenges which not many will or can accept.  To help out just a  
bit, the cores or SPUs are aware of each other and can be instructed  
to work in tandem or independently; the one SPU which Sony reserves  
and restricts YDL (or any Linux) from accessing doesn't affect the  
very real problem that programmers don't know enough how to take  
advantage of the available SPUs anyway.

As I said, the problem is Thinking.  There is a nice little book  
written by Martin Heidegger entitled "What is Called  
Thinking?" (ISBN-13: 978-0060905286) which could be useful in  
preparing to address the task of approaching a new direction  
intelligently.  A 17 year old wouldn't need that, we however do as we  
need to rediscover what beginning anew and moving forward well  
actually means.  The youngster by his/her very nature is ready to  
explore and investigate everything and so s/he does.  Our advantage  
however is what the youngster has in energy; we have, or should have,  
in ...

Of course, how that sentence is completed by a person addresses  
another layer of the challenge.

More technically relevant references are available within these lists  
from within the archives:

	From: 	  lscharf at vt.edu
	Subject: 	Re: [ydl-gen] So, PS3
	Date: 	November 20, 2006 10:14:37 AM EST
	To: 	  yellowdog-general at lists.terrasoftsolutions.com

also

	From: 	  bmueller at terrasoftsolutions.com
	Subject: 	Re: [ydl-gen] So, PS3
	Date: 	November 20, 2006 12:27:49 PM EST
	To: 	  yellowdog-general at lists.terrasoftsolutions.com

and

From: 	  jonathan at newmedio.com
	Subject: 	[ydl-gen] Programming the PS3 Introduction
	Date: 	January 4, 2007 8:57:16 AM EST
	To: 	  yellowdog-general at lists.terrasoftsolutions.com

Explanation:
Type the subject title as listed here into Google.  A list of all  
participants discussing that subject will appear.  The dates listed  
above will help you determine the specific comment together with the  
links those persons provided to references which could help you further.

Good Luck....


On Oct 1, 2007, at 4:31 PM, Thomas A. McGonagle wrote:

> Hello All,
>  Through the mainstream press, I have often heard just how hard it  
> is for game developers to develop their games for the PS3's Cell  
> Processor.
>
>  Have any Cell Processor programmers found it terribly hard? What  
> causes the difficulty? Do you need to keep track of which processor ?
>
>  Can anyone recommend a resource to learn more about the Cell  
> processor? I am particularly interested in why only 6 PPUs are  
> available to Yellow Dog, and not all 8.
>
>  Thank you very much for the help, and have a nice day!
> -Tom
> _______________________________________________
> yellowdog-general mailing list
> yellowdog-general at lists.terrasoftsolutions.com
> http://lists.terrasoftsolutions.com/mailman/listinfo/yellowdog-general
> HINT: to Google archives, try  '<keywords>  
> site:terrasoftsolutions.com'

================================
Life only demands from you the strength that you possess. Only one  
feat is possible; not to run away.
-- Dag Hammarskjold (July 29, 1905 - September 18, 1961)








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