[Sablevm-developer] SableVM requirement for sequential consistency

[Bill P. <pu...@cs...>]

Somebody pointed out to me this note on the SableVM home page:

>SableVM requires an ANSI/ISO C compiler (but preferably GCC) and a 
>POSIX platform.  It requires a strong memory model (sequential 
>consistency) on multiprocessor systems.  SableVM is currently known 
>to run on the i*86 and alpha processors with GNU/Linux.

Does everyone understand that no commodity multiprocessor offers a 
sequentially consistent memory model, and that in particular x86 and 
Alpha SMPs are not sequentially consistent?

In fact, the Alpha has the weakest memory model that I know of.

What is the story?

	Bill Pugh