Re:Ask HN: Why is my Windows computer running 10,000 threads...
by youknow123 on Sunday September 07, 2025 @07:00AM
(#45157115)
Modern apps are way more complex than Quake. Dropbox needs threads for syncing files, watching folders, updating UI, etc. Steam's web helper is basically running a mini-browser.
Back in the Quake days, we had single-core CPUs and tiny RAM - every thread mattered. Now with 16+ cores and tons of memory, it's cheaper to just spawn threads for everything rather than write complex single-threaded code.
Your computer's fine - this is just how software works now. We traded elegance for "throw hardware at the problem."
Back in the Quake days, we had single-core CPUs and tiny RAM - every thread mattered. Now with 16+ cores and tons of memory, it's cheaper to just spawn threads for everything rather than write complex single-threaded code.
Your computer's fine - this is just how software works now. We traded elegance for "throw hardware at the problem."