Linux users want better desktop performance (Screw data. Prioritize code)

[Matthew Woehlke]

Roy Bynum wrote:
> I may be totally "out in the weeds" with this comment, but here goes.  
> Is is possible to set up a small app that would maintain a record of the 
> swap/buffer usage patterns and set up a "sliding scale" that would move 
> the swap priority based on the usage pattern of the logged in user?

Good question. I don't know enough if it can track usage patterns, but 
my guess is it could. (At least, if running as root; if not root I think 
it could only read the memory of processes belonging to the effective 
user, but since you say it should track that users' stuff anyway I think 
that's a non-issue. That said...) AFAIK the ratio is adjustable in 
real-time. (...it might need to be root to tweak the ratio, or else have 
an suid helper program. The latter is probably better... although it's 
probably better to make the whole thing run as root so it is 
system-wide. For single-user systems, it will mostly track the logged-in 
user anyway, but also account for system daemons. For multi-user 
systems, presumably you don't want to treat one user preferentially. And 
surely you don't want multiple instances running and contending on what 
to make the ratio.)

Short answer: I think it's possible.

Usage patterns are a function of user /and time/. I assume such a 
program could be tuned to handle varying usage patterns as well.

-- 
Matthew
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