Subject: Re: Sleazy timing code
To: Hal Murray <murray@pa.dec.com>
From: Jukka Marin <jmarin@pyy.jmp.fi>
List: port-alpha
Date: 05/30/2000 14:19:46
On Tue, May 30, 2000 at 03:25:05AM -0700, Hal Murray wrote:
> I have some sleazy code that I use to measure CPU usage.  The idea 
> is to run a low priority job that eats up all the otherwise unused 
> CPU cycles.  The ones it doesn't get were obviously "used" by something.  

Umm.. I'm not familiar with all the CPU architectures supported by NetBSD,
but the CPU's usually have power-saving modes which may reduce the power
consumption to a fraction of the normal level.  Wouldn't an idle loop like
this keep the CPU fully (well, almost) active all the time, raising the
power consumption to normal levels?

I don't know about the others, but my computers produce more than enough
heat (and noise) as is, and my laptop's battery doesn't last too long,
either..

While I did a similar idle loop on the Amiga to measure CPU idle time,
I'm now against this because I'm paying my electricity bills myself :-)

Just IMHO, of course.

  -jm