Re: Twilight II updates (was Re: Screen Saver)

[irsman@iastate.edu (Ian Schmidt)]

In article <330us3$h5q@gap.cco.caltech.edu> nathan@cco.caltech.edu (Nathan Mates) writes:

>   When are you going to learn about interrupts on the GS? From what
>you're saying here, T2 is pushing GNO's task switcher out because it
>takes too much time. Bullshit. GNO task switches just fine, even at
>0.6Mhz. A heartbeat task does not get lost like a character on the
>serial port; it is merely delayed.

Yes, and delaying is Bad, especially when the delay occurs inside an
interrupt handler.  A GNO screen saver done right would use a daemon
process, so as not to unnecessarily take up interrupt time.  This will
be critical when Derek finishes GS/TCP, as SLIP will need huge amounts
of packet processing in order to work, as well as speedy servicing of
serial interrupts (indeed, it has it's own serial handler in order to
chop every cycle possible).

>   Others have accused you of meglomania. I'll let you speak for yourself.

Others also haven't written half as much GS code as I have, written an
FAQ, or taken the general amount of abuse I have.  I'm quite proud of my
accomplishments, and I tend to be rather suspicious of anyone who works
on something and then isn't damn proud of it (this is why Baz Is Right).

>   You've had a fairly longstanding opposition to T2; this line says
>more about why you don't like it than anything else in public. Just
>because you cannot be the king of the hill here doesn't mean that it
>is to be shunned.

Heh.  My "longstanding opposition" to T2 has more to do with it's effect
on my system's performance than anything.  On decent-sized builds
there's a significant slowdown in compile speed with T2 installed.
Beyond that, I like the program.  I wrote a couple of modules for it
that I use when I have it enabled.  It very much needs a design reality
check however; 3 VBL tasks to do what UltraBlank does in 1 is
unrealistic on a machine as relatively slow as the GS.

>Although it doesn't show up much here, on IRC you've
>made lots of very critical comments about other GS programs, like GNO
>and DRWM.

Uh huh.  And would I have beta-tested GNO until and including the
present and written 6 utilites for it if I were as critical of it as you say?

> Does the fact that you tried to make challengers but failed
>miserably explain your attitudes there also? You have got a problem
>with your ego, Ian; a little honesty as to the source of your opposition
>would go a long way to explaining your otherwise irrational comments.

I made a GNO challenger?  News to me.  I at one time worked on a scripting
shell *for* GNO, with assistance from Jawaid, maybe you're thinking of
that?  And I was not involved in the design of the T2 'challenger' I use
most often; my RGB's power switch (which certainly isn't a miserable
failure in any case).  I think that you need to get your facts straight
before accusing me of anything, no matter how good said accusations may
look in print.
-- 
Ian Schmidt - irsman@iastate.edu - irsman@rush.cc.edu - BAZ IS RIGHT! - INSOC:
"If you've got to belong to something, belong to us and we'll make you PC"