Preface
In August 2006, I attended the Girvan Workshop for the Cell Broadband Engine, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. For two solid days, IBM engineers explained the processor’s architecture, tools, and the many software libraries available for building Cell applications. I was stunned, not only by the processor’s extraordinary capabilities, but also by how much there was to learn: spulets and CESOF files, AltiVec and Single Instruction, Multiple Data (SIMD) math, debuggers and simulators. I did my best to comprehend it all, but most of the material flew over my head with a fierce whoosh.
When Sony released the PlayStation 3, I grabbed the first console off the shelf and ran home for a more thorough investigation. It was daunting at ...
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