title: Python 2.3 multiprocessing
body: <p>Is there any multiprocessing type module for Python 2.3?  I am stuck using 2.3 for the programs I interface with and would like to be able to setup some multiprocessing as the tasks I do only use one CPU and are really inefficient.  </p>
  
  <p>I would like each thread/process to handle its own global variables and each thread/process should not share any variables with any other thread/process.  Basically I would just like to have a queue of files that need be run through a function and each run would be an entirely new thread.</p>
  
  <p>I have tried using <code>thread.start_new_thread</code>, but it just turned into a mess with my global variables.</p>
  
  <p>A thought just occurred to me, can I do a <code>os.popen('python C:\function_dir\function.py vars...')</code> from each new thread?  Sounds rather ugly, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.  The master program wouldn't continue until the <code>os.popen</code> "thread" finishes correct?</p>
  
  <p>Any thoughts or modules I may be overlooking?</p>