Torvalds Explains Scheduler Decision

Firedog writes "There's been a lot of recent debate over why Linus Torvalds chose the new CFS process scheduler written by Ingo Molnar over the SD process scheduler written by Con Kolivas, ranging from discussing the quality of the code to favoritism and outright conspiracy theories. KernelTrap is now reporting Linus Torvalds' official stance as to why he chose the code that he did. 'People who think SD was "perfect" were simply ignoring reality,' Linus is quoted as saying. He goes on to explain that he selected the Completely Fair Scheduler because it had a maintainer who has proven himself willing and able to address problems as they are discovered. In the end, the relevance to normal Linux users is twofold: one is the question as to whether or not the Linux development model is working, and the other is the question as to whether the recently released 2.6.23 kernel will deliver an improved desktop experience."

Re:Nerds

[kcbanner]

Everyone except you.

Re:Nerds

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, I have no idea how an OS works and even _I_ know what this article is about.

Re:good for you

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry but the flame wars over whether you call it zee eff ess vs. zed eff ess would make the vi vs. emacs flamewar look like a watergun fight. It would likely tear the Linux project apart as radical Zeddites suicide bomb the Zee Alliance.

Re:Nerds

[larry bagina]

If you don't know what a cpu scheduler is, you are not slashdot's target audience

Look at the front page much?

Supervillain

[EnsilZah]

Come on, it's quite obvious that Linus's secret superhero alter-ego has done battle with Kolivas' supervillain identity before (I mean, Con Kolivas? Do the writers even try to make these things sound authentic?) and is now trying to thwart his evil plans of global domination.

Re:Damn right the desktop experience is improved!

[Anonymous Coward]

Hehe, ;) you are right. Their ProTools hardware just has to be better, because it costs so much :)

Re:Nerds

[hughperkins]

The scheduler is reponsible for deciding which programs can use the processor when. So, lets says you're running Word (not likely on linux, for quickest example I could come up with), and Word is for some reason using 100% cpu. Well, depending on how the scheduler works, that is how the cpu is shared between processes, other applications might continue working ok, or might freeze up entirely whilst they wait for Word to finish.

So, the scheduler controls how well different applications work together at the same time.

Re:I find him rather rude

[Just Some Guy]

I must say though, that I excuse him because he produces, [or helps produce] a very useful product on the world today. That is the Linux kernel.

You're going to love this Theo guy, then.

I keed, I keed.

Re:Torvalds jumps shark - Film @ 11

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, your scheduler certainly wasn't fair on that one.

Re:I find him rather rude

[rob1980]

Anybody want to claim themselves as an AFLAC (Anonymous Finnish Latin-American Coward)?

Re:As an outsider to kernel development, I'm curio

[k3vlar]

More like Surf's Up, but with emphasis on kernel development, instead of surfing. By the way, stay tuned for Dreamworks' Pictures "Tux". An animated comedy, starring yet even more penguins, and the lovable little guy himself. Tux is an ordinary penguin, working away at his operating system all day, like good penguins should. A chance meeting with the BSD Daemon and Gnu marks the start of a grand adventure that takes Tux all over the internet (including a brief visit to Slashdot itself). Tux makes friends with a host of colourful characters, meets the girl of his dreams, and learns an important lesson in process prioritization and task scheduling.

Re:Linus as the benevolent dictator again

[markov_chain]

Nah, Linus is right to be tough. The ability to take a step back, reexamine the reasons why the code is not getting accepted into the kernel, and ultimately improve it is what separates a real kernel developer from a donkey! Now move your ass, yes?

Re:Linus as the benevolent dictator again

[Plaid Phantom]

Linus throws anecdotes. Gates throws money. Balmer throws chairs.

Re:Benevolent dictatorship is a good thing

[Actually, I do RTFA]

Or having a cat who fubared your keyboard, so you're typing posts via ascii codes.

Re:Linus as the benevolent dictator again

[ScrewMaster]

... and Windows throws exceptions. So what else is new?

Re:Nerds

[poopdeville]

So, lets says you're running Word (not likely on linux, for quickest example I could come up with)

What the fuck.

Re:I find him rather rude

[NaugaHunter]

For example, small talk is considered unnecessary or even rude in some situations. Getting to the point is a virtue in any conversation.

All these years I thought I was a social misfit, but apparently I'm just Finnish.

Boy will my parents be surprised.

Re:I find him rather rude

[Blakey Rat]

Great, now instead of geeks pretending (or "self-diagnosing") Asperger's Syndrome to gain "geek cred", they'll learn Finnish. Just what we need, a bunch of Finnish-speaking introverts.