CIYAM (OP)
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
|
|
January 21, 2013, 03:30:37 AM Last edit: January 21, 2013, 06:07:52 AM by CIYAM Open |
|
Running bitcoin-qt on a not so powerful laptop running XP can be a pain as it consumes basically all CPU every time it validates a new block (so every 10 minutes or so my computer *freezes* for generally around 5 seconds which feels like a long time when you're trying to code).
Of course I know how to lower the priority of the bitcoin-qt process (and do this for now) but I think this makes for a pretty bad new user experience (especially if you are catching up blocks) and I would guess that many users may not even know how to adjust the process priority.
So maybe it would be a good idea to have a setting to "Run as low priority"?
|
|
|
|
grue
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 2058
Merit: 1434
|
|
January 21, 2013, 04:09:15 AM |
|
#ifndef WIN32 #include <Windows.h> #endif [...] SetPriorityClass(GetCurrentProcess(), BELOW_NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS);
|
|
|
|
CIYAM (OP)
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
|
|
January 21, 2013, 04:55:41 AM |
|
Sure and I have coded SetPriorityClass before - but I was suggesting something that might be more usable for Gavin's Grandma than an API call - let's say a check box perhaps? Hmm... just realised I posted this in the wrong sub-forum (should have been posted in Development & Technical Discussion) - any mod want to move this for me?
|
|
|
|
dree12
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1246
Merit: 1077
|
|
January 21, 2013, 05:27:57 AM |
|
Any mod want to move this for me?
You can do so yourself.
|
|
|
|
CIYAM (OP)
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
|
|
January 21, 2013, 05:48:12 AM |
|
You can do so yourself.
Oh - how?
|
|
|
|
2112
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 2128
Merit: 1073
|
|
January 21, 2013, 05:56:26 AM |
|
Oh - how?
start /b /belownormal c:\program files\bitcoin\bitcoin-qt.exe from the command line; or you can make a shortcut: c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe /c start /b /belownormal c:\program files\bitcoin\bitcoin-qt.exe
|
|
|
|
CIYAM (OP)
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
|
|
January 21, 2013, 06:00:13 AM |
|
I *know* how to do these things (changing the priority either from a shortcut or from the Task Manager or in code, etc.).
I posted in the wrong sub-forum and I thought that I was being told I can *move* my topic so that is what I want to know "how to do".
Can someone please explain "how do I move this topic"?
(actually maybe I'll just delete it as it looks as though it will take me more time to explain what the purpose of this topic is than I think I can be bothered with)
|
|
|
|
2112
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 2128
Merit: 1073
|
|
January 21, 2013, 06:06:36 AM |
|
Can someone please explain "how do I move this topic"?
(actually maybe I'll just delete it as it looks as though it will take me more time to explain what the purpose of this topic is than I think I can be bothered with)
I'm sorry, I misunderstood your request. The "move topic" is somewhere on the bottom of the page on the left, next to the "lock topic".
|
|
|
|
CIYAM (OP)
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
|
|
January 21, 2013, 06:08:48 AM |
|
IIRC the "move thread" is somewhere on the bottom of the page on the left.
Thanks! I had actually never noticed that link was there before (wasn't trying to be lazy). Finally moved to where it should have been originally posted (must be a bit tired today).
|
|
|
|
Pieter Wuille
|
|
January 21, 2013, 10:36:52 PM |
|
I'm quite sure your computer freezing up is not caused by the CPU needed for verifying signatures, but by the database I/O blocking your OS and other applications from accessing your hard disk. Scheduling the task at low priority will not help in that case. The next release (0.8 ) should decrease I/O requirements a lot. If you're interested, feel free to try the test buildsBTW: I'm not saying that a checkbox to lower CPU priority (or even a default) is a bad idea - I just don't think it will help preventing freezes.
|
I do Bitcoin stuff.
|
|
|
CIYAM (OP)
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
|
|
January 22, 2013, 12:24:06 AM |
|
BTW: I'm not saying that a checkbox to lower CPU priority (or even a default) is a bad idea - I just don't think it will help preventing freezes.
When I switch the process to low priority I get *no* freezes at all so yes I *do* very much think that it is CPU.
|
|
|
|
Diapolo
|
|
January 22, 2013, 01:02:22 PM |
|
Can you plese stop using that "Windoze" slang , thanks. Dia
|
|
|
|
DarkHyudrA
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1386
Merit: 1000
English <-> Portuguese translations
|
|
January 22, 2013, 01:31:18 PM |
|
Can you plese stop using that "Windoze" slang , thanks. Dia What a helpful post .-. OP: Unless that in the coming years there will still exists slow laptops or even those crap netbooks, I don't believe that this is necessary.
|
English <-> Brazilian Portuguese translations
|
|
|
DeathAndTaxes
Donator
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1218
Merit: 1079
Gerald Davis
|
|
January 22, 2013, 01:42:13 PM |
|
Unless that in the coming years there will still exists slow laptops or even those crap netbooks, I don't believe that this is necessary. Um I would say that is an absolute GUARANTEE. Either underpowered hardware sold to meet price points accepted by the general public or otherwise decent hardware slowed to a crawl by software bloat. Ever seen the amount of services and background processed launched by third parties in the average user's (think your mom not anonymous hacker) computer after say 3-4 years.
|
|
|
|
CIYAM (OP)
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
|
|
January 22, 2013, 01:59:30 PM |
|
Can you plese stop using that "Windoze" slang , thanks. Oh sorry - didn't mean to offend - it's just that I'm not going to put a TM every time a type a bloody standard English word just because some American company things it has the right to *own* common English words and sue people who don't do this. So let me know what I should call it (in a way the M$ is happy for me to with but with no TM or the like)?
|
|
|
|
Diapolo
|
|
January 22, 2013, 02:37:15 PM |
|
Can you plese stop using that "Windoze" slang , thanks. Oh sorry - didn't mean to offend - it's just that I'm not going to put a TM every time a type a bloody standard English word just because some American company things it has the right to *own* common English words and sue people who don't do this. So let me know what I should call it (in a way the M$ is happy for me to with but with no TM or the like)? Just use Windows , I call Linux Linux and Mac Mac, so that should be rather straight forward ^^. Thanks , Dia
|
|
|
|
Diapolo
|
|
January 22, 2013, 02:40:04 PM |
|
I'm quite sure your computer freezing up is not caused by the CPU needed for verifying signatures, but by the database I/O blocking your OS and other applications from accessing your hard disk. Scheduling the task at low priority will not help in that case. The next release (0.8 ) should decrease I/O requirements a lot. If you're interested, feel free to try the test buildsBTW: I'm not saying that a checkbox to lower CPU priority (or even a default) is a bad idea - I just don't think it will help preventing freezes. After reading this thread I took a look at the same idea, to use some lower than normal priority. Perhaps I'll create a pull for this. Dia
|
|
|
|
CIYAM (OP)
Legendary
Offline
Activity: 1890
Merit: 1086
Ian Knowles - CIYAM Lead Developer
|
|
January 22, 2013, 02:45:58 PM |
|
BTW: I'm not saying that a checkbox to lower CPU priority (or even a default) is a bad idea - I just don't think it will help preventing freezes.
As I already stated I have tested this on my laptop many times I am certain that it must be CPU and not I/O (it does not *freeze* when the task has been set to low priority). After reading this thread I took a look at the same idea, to use some lower than normal priority. Perhaps I'll create a pull for this.
That would be great and I'll happily use that on my old and dirty windows.
|
|
|
|
Diapolo
|
|
January 22, 2013, 05:24:56 PM |
|
You are free to take a look at my (untested and yet to be commented) pull-request. It's perhaps just a starting point or could even be considered useless by other core devs, well see . https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/pull/2199Dia
|
|
|
|
Pieter Wuille
|
|
January 22, 2013, 07:45:00 PM |
|
BTW: I'm not saying that a checkbox to lower CPU priority (or even a default) is a bad idea - I just don't think it will help preventing freezes.
As I already stated I have tested this on my laptop many times I am certain that it must be CPU and not I/O (it does not *freeze* when the task has been set to low priority). Interesting - thanks for reporting, in that case.
|
I do Bitcoin stuff.
|
|
|
|