Intel’s 386 was the first CPU to feature hardware and special instructions that supported true multitasking. Nowadays, it is common to see several applications running simultaneously. But this is only an apparent thing, as no more than one program can be executed at any particular time. This is due to the blazing fast speeds of the actual CPUs, which can let each program run for just a short bit of time, then switch to the next program.
The 386 could stop a program in its tracks and suspend it while other programs run. Then, the OS would switch back to the first program as if nothing had ever stopped it. This is called preemptive multitasking and it’s an important concept to remember for later.
No Comments Yet
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
