Building an AsyncIO executor for the 3DS
The article discusses the challenges of multitasking on the Nintendo 3DS, which uses non-preemptive multitasking. It introduces the concept of async programming as a solution to manage tasks without hogging the CPU. The author outlines the mechanics of async programming, including the roles of tasks, futures, wakers, and executors.
- ▪The Nintendo 3DS has non-preemptive multitasking, meaning threads only yield when they choose to.
- ▪Async programming allows tasks to perform work and then yield control, preventing long-running threads from blocking other processes.
- ▪The article explains how Rust's async system employs wakers and executors to manage task execution efficiently.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Building an AsyncIO executor for the 3DS (pt 1!) 16 May, 2026 the Nintendo 3DS is a very fun device to write homebrew for, but one thing about it can be annoying: its multitasking is non-preemptive! in this little series, we'll be building an asyncio executor for the 3ds. in this first part: why and what is async, anyways? what?the way threads and processes usually work in operating systems is through pre-emption: a thread can only run for a little bit of time before it gets temporarily paused so the next thread in line can run. so, if you spawn a super intensive long-running thread, it won't be able to hog the entire CPU, as the OS will take over and make sure everyone else can get some CPU time. but the 3ds is cooperativethis means that threads are only paused when they ask to be.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at a catgirl's finds.
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