Someone mentioned setting the X server (or whatever) to a negative nice
value.  Using xdm, you can do just that -- I renice mine to -15.

Typically the server itself doesn't take all that much CPU under "normal" use.
But I have found that renicing the server as such will improve the response
time of the entire session.

YMMV.

At any rate, it certainly avoids the autonice problem.  Someone mentioned
that it should be a run-time parameter.  I disagree -- compile-time seems
fine, since if a mortal user needs to renice their program to a lower
priority for whatever reason, it's do-able...

What I would like to see, however, is perhaps another field in the proc
structure ("uh oh!  here he goes again...") which remembers the initial
priority of the process and would permit renicing to that value instead
of making it a ratchet mechanism in which it is not possible to raise the
priority after lowering it (please excuse my possibly incorrect abuse
of the term "priority" equating it with "nice value" -- I know users can
not set priorities (believe me -- I have problems with that all day :-)).

If the super-user lowers the nice value, the hard value should also be
set; if a normal user lowers it, the hard value should not be set.

Comments?



				--*greywolf;
--
Bought the planet (paid cash).