Re: Slow performance on linux - workaround

[Jim Van Zandt]

In message <address@hidden>, Evan Thomas write
s:
>Some time ago I reported a problem with slow octave performance running
>on linux....
>
>The problem is related to the kpathsea functions that look for the file
>in the search path. By removing the call to fcn_file_in_path() in the
>function symbol_out_of_date() the performance problem also goes away. I
>don't why this would be a problem on linux and not on the Sun.

Maybe the Sun had enough memory that the relevant disk sectors
(directory entries for the function files) were all in buffers, so no
actual disk access was needed.  

You could try freeing up memory by getting rid of X windows and other
terminal sessions, and ensuring there's plenty of swap space (so
little-used code can be swapped out), and simplifying the search path.

Alternatively, you could try filling up the memory on the Sun to see
whether the performance problem appears there.  You could write a
trivial program that mallocs a block of memory then waits for a
specified time or a keypress.  I suppose you would have to fill up
swap space before it would have any impact.

                                    - Jim Van Zandt