NGPT 2.0.0 RELEASED; Linus: Look at Next Generation POSIX Threads (NGPT) for the future of threads. (from Linux Journal)

Linus Torvalds: Look at Next Generation POSIX Threads (NGPT) for the future
of threads, he advised. "pthreads are horrible, and Linux has a very
different model, and there was no glue between the two." NGPT could be that
glue.

NGPT Release 2.0 is the first release of the "Next Generation" of Linux
pthreads support. This release is fully suitable as a replacement for
LinuxThreads by either a single user or group or and entire distribution.

In this release, we've added shared synchronization, more and better binary
compatibility with LinuxThreads, better performance, more functionality and
significant bug fixes.

The binary RPMs supplied with this release are based on and built for use
with a 2.4.19pre10 or better kernel that has the new "officially"
sanctioned support for NGPT. In addition it is necessary for you to apply
the new patch-futex-2.4.19 patch, included in this release. This patch is
based on new functionality already provided in the 2.5 kernel that will
eventually be backported to the 2.4 kernel and support. There is also a
patch, patch-kngpt-2.4.18, that is designed to be installed over a standard
2.4.18 kernel from kernel.org. NGPT takes advantage of the functionality
provided by these patches to efficiently handle mutexes, both shared and
non-shared. This patch is **ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED**. NGPT will not function
without it. The installation instructions have changed a bit as well since
1.2.2 and you should check the INSTALL file for the updated instructions.

Of interest to early 1.9.x adopters of NGPT, you should apply the kernel
patches enclosed with this release. They've changed since 1.9.3 to include
bug fixes for problems in the futex kernel handling.

You can build the library from source by downloading the source tarball or
source rpm and consulting the INSTALL file.

If you are running with a 2.5.x experimental kernel, it's best that run
with 2.5.8 or higher since it will already have the required changes for
NGPT. You will also have to rebuild NGPT from either the source tarball or
rpm.

As an STABLE RELEASE, this release is suitable for use in a production
environment, however, it should be noted that although we have done fairly
extensive testing and you should find this release relatively free of
problems, there may be some problems. If you encounter any problems with
this release please post them to the NGPT website and the development team
will address them quickly.

The NGPT website:  http://oss.software.ibm.
com/developerworks/opensource/pthreads