comments on KDE performance tips

[Mathieu Kooiman]

> > The preemptive kernel patch by Robert Love and the Low-Latency by Alan
> > Cox (if my memory serves me right). I highly doubt this would attribute
> > to better 'performance' since these patches will only make the kernel
> > (seem) more responsive under load.
>
> well, performance on a desktop system _is_ responsiveness. (disclaimer:
> imo) fyi it was andrew morton who did the low-latency patch :)

Ah, well, I just skimmed over the names on KernelTrap.. :)  

I know that 'responsiveness' is crucial to desktop performance (or the user 
experience thereof) but isn't KDE spending most of its time in "user land" 
(in kernel terms) ?

The preempt patch doesn't exactly speed that up. AFAIK, the preempt patch 
introduces more and more places in supposably critical code sections in the 
kernel where the kernelprocess can be preempted. 

Then again, I'm by no means claim to be an expert on these things :)

> > I've done some stresstesting (although not with KDE) and in 'raw
> > performance' it was even a tad SLOWER than the stock 2.4.20 kernel.
>
> yet in other cases (possible anal) pre-empt makes it faster.
> i know for certain that preempt improved my (as a person) performance :)
>
> Alex

Mathieu