Re: [tlug] why so slow?

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

>>>>> "Pietro" == Pietro Zuco <pietro@example.com> writes:

    Pietro> I would like to know if there are a way to improve the
    Pietro> start proccess of applications. I remember that there was
    Pietro> some time ago an utily of Norton for win that served to
    Pietro> improve the time to start applications. Maybe are there
    Pietro> some utility equivalent for Linux? Or some way to make
    Pietro> faster the start proccess ?

As pointed out, MS preloads certain crucial (to its marketing and
legal defense) programs into memory.  This is why Linux typically
starts up in a 10th of the time of Windows (and much of the time taken
by Linux is the distro's stock install kernel trying to init drivers for
nonexistent hardware ;-).

Most *nix apps support multiple windows, and some kind of IPC
protocol.  I forget what it is with Netscrap/Mozzerilla, but there is
a protocol to send an URL to a running browser.  X?Emacs has
gnuclient.  So if you _know_ you're going to be using the app a lot,
you start it at login, go get some coffee, and thereafter configure to
use the IPC protocols to create new windows quickly not start new
instances slowly.  Eg, for X?Emacs, just set EDITOR=gnuclient in your
environment and everything is easy.

(Note to vi abusers:  I'm just talking about what I know; of course
EDITOR=vi works just as fast, but not as well ;-) And that's a new
instance of vi, which doesn't help Pietro understand the idea.)

Also, you can often reduce startup time by use of xtoolwait, which
typically reduces the amount of time for windows to appear so that you
can do some work.  The total startup time can actually be slightly
longer, but you don't have to wait for your xdaliclock (which takes
forever to appear) to pop up before the first xterm does.


-- 
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University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
 My nostalgia for Icon makes me forget about any of the bad things.  I don't
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