[lug] KDE responsiveness in FC2/KRUD

[Alan Robertson]

D. Stimits wrote:
> I've been experimenting with the Fedora Core 2 (KRUD) running KDE for 
> the last week or so, on a dual P2-450. Now I know this isn't so fast, 
> but I'm finding KDE or the default window manager for KDE blocks when 
> individual apps block (the mouse does not block and remains smooth). 
> Earlier redhat 8 and before did not do this, but they also used the 
> XFree X11 server and not the Xorg server. I've even tried recompiling 
> the kernel with the preemption, and verified both cpus are being used, 
> as well as the APIC distributing hardware IRQ's. I've also tried both 
> the stock kernels of KRUD and updated kernel 2.6.8.
> 
> An example would be that I run a large query on PostgreSQL via the 
> pgaccess tool, something that takes 5 minutes to process (but the 
> database is running on a separate machine sitting next to it with a 
> dedicated 100 Mbit card)...and am unable to switch to a terminal 
> (konsole in this case), web browser, or any other app for perhaps a full 
> minute. Has anyone else here experience this apparently 
> synchronous/non-threaded behavior?

I see similar problems when running on my AMD-64 - where (32-bit) Mozilla 
in particular blocks for a very long time - no CPU usage.  Sometimes the 
blockage is a few seconds, sometimes more.  I'm running SUSE 9.1 with their 
2.6.5-7.108-default kernel for the x86_64 architecture.

Where it shows up is that I can't select text until this unblocks, then all 
is well again.


-- 
     Alan Robertson <alanr at unix.sh>

"Openness is the foundation and preservative of friendship...  Let me claim 
from you at all times your undisguised opinions." - William Wilberforce