Minimizing Cygwin/XFree86 under NT 4.0 with KDE auto-hide taskbar active consumes CPU resources
Harold L Hunt II
huntharo@msu.edu
Wed Aug 7 14:48:00 GMT 2002
Steve,
I am logging into a remote Mandrake Linux 8.2 machine with KDE 3.0.2.
My Windows 2000 machine is running XFree86-xserv-4.2.0-10. I cannot
duplicate the behavior that you describe.
Please run, from a Cygwin bash prompt:
cat /etc/setup/installed.db | grep XFree86-xserv
Send the results of the above command in to the mailing list so that we
know what version of the Cygwin/XFree86 X Server you are running.
Also, please tell us what version of KDE you are running. I now suspect
that this may have been a problem/bug in versions of KDE prior to at
least 3.0.2. You may find that the problem goes away by updating KDE on
your Linux machine.
Harold
Steve Stone wrote:
> Reposted with corrected subject - sorry
>
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Steve Stone
>>Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 2:00 PM
>>To: 'cygwin-xfree@cygwin.com'
>>Subject: FW: cygwin question
>>
>>
>>Hi Harold,
>>
>>I am using XDMCP to logon to a Linux/UNIX machine that is running KDE.
>>
>>To be sure that we are clear, the CPU usage I had noted was
>>on the NT box (thus not KDE). I have now run 'top' on the
>>Linux box and the kpanel does not seem to require much time
>>(it jumps up to right below top, drop down and keeps
>>repeating that, but not at a very high cpu demand on the
>>Linux box). Also, the NT CPU time is not 100%, it is jumps
>>to 40% and then oscillates between 40% and 60% every second or so.
>>
>>This behavior is present for both the KDE task bar and the
>>KDE panel bar.
>>
>>If I put the KDE Auto Hide setting at even one click up from
>>the lowest "Delay = small" setting, the NT cpu usage drops
>>dramatically to be 2-7%. It also goes to zero after the
>>minimize icon is clicked. The Speed and Animate settings do
>>not seem to affect the CPU usage much.
>>
>>As long as the mouse is hovering over either the panel bar
>>and/or the title bar (and the Auto Hide is at the shortest
>>delay), the CPU usage is up. This is with no mouse movement,
>>just parked over the panel bar.
>>
>>Steve Stone
>>503.672.5771
>>
>>
>>
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: Harold L Hunt II
>> > Sent: Wed, 07 Aug 2002 13:50:14 -0400
>> > To: cygwin-xfree at cygwin dot com
>> > Subject: Re: Minimizing Cygwin/XFree86 consumes
>>CPU resources
>> >
>> > Steve,
>> >
>> > Let me get one thing straight: are you running KDE locally on
>> > your Windows machine, or are you using XDMCP to logon to a
>> > Linux/UNIX machine that is running KDE?
>> >
>> > KDE running on Cygwin is nowhere near even a beta release...
>> > any problems you have are expected and they are being worked
>> > on by the KDE on Cygiwn developers.
>> >
>> > If, on the other hand, you are simply viewing a KDE session
>> > running on another machine, then we would be somewhat
>> > interested in figuring out why KDE takes 100% of the CPU when
>> > its taskbar is displayed.
>> >
>> >
>> > With all of that out of the way, I have a little information
>> > on the side for you and one question.
>> >
>> > Mouse messages in X are actually initiated by the movement of
>> > the mouse. You don't have to poll the mouse to find out if it
>> > has moved, you simply wait for a message that says, ``the
>> > mouse has moved''. When you move the Windows mouse cursor out
>> > of the Cygwin/XFree86 window in the manner that you
>> > described, the last mouse message sent to X, hence KDE, is
>> > the last valid position that the mouse cursor had in the
>> > Cygwin/XFree86 window. No more mouse messages are sent after
>> > the Windows mouse cursor leaves the ``client area'' of the
>> > Cygwin/XFree86 window, so KDE is not likely having a problem
>> > with invalid mouse coordinates or with the mouse
>>continuing to move.
>> >
>> > Question: What happens to the CPU usage if you make the KDE
>> > taskbar always shown?
>> >
>> > Expected answer: The CPU usage jumps to 100%, regardless of
>> > whether the mouse is over the KDE taskbar or not.
>> >
>> > Reasoning: The KDE taskbar can have little ``applets'' that
>> > run in the taskbar and provide various information such as
>> > when new mail has arrived, when new instant messages have
>> > arrived, etc. Many of these programs will catch the hidden
>> > state of the taskbar and cease updating their display until
>> > the taskbar is shown again. I suspect that the real culprit
>> > in taking 100% of the CPU here is either the KDE taskbar
>> > itself or one of these applets running in the KDE taskbar.
>> >
>> >
>> > Answer that one question and we will be able to tell for sure
>> > whether you are going to have to talk to the KDE on Cygwin
>> > folks rather than us :) Plus, I am interested to know the
>> > root cause here as well.
>> >
>> >
>> > Harold
>> >
>> >
>> > Steve Stone wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > Please forgive any ignorance of mine
>>demonstrated by this
>> > note. Also please
>> > forgive the length of the message. :-)
>> >
>> > We downloaded the newest Cygwin/XFree86 on
>>Jul 7th. I don't
>> > know how what
>> > file to look at in the unpack directory to
>>verify what version we are
>> > running, but I believe it is 1.3.12-1.
>> >
>> > I am using KDE (according to the KDE Control
>>Center GUI, it
>> > is KDE version
>> > 1.1.2) and I had the task bar set to the top
>>and to "Auto
>> > Hide" with the
>> > smallest delay, fastest speed, and the
>>Animate set fairly low
>> > (about 5 ticks
>> > up).
>> >
>> > The Cygwin/XFree86 window is the only X item
>>on my Windows
>> > task bar and it
>> > takes the whole screen when present. The
>>Alt/Space does not
>> > drop down the
>> > System menu (from the Cygwin/XFree86 system
>>icon on the left
>> > side of the
>> > title bar, so I move the mouse up to the
>>minimize button
>> > (icon) on the right
>> > side of the title bar.
>> > As the mouse moves over the area assigned to
>>the KDE task
>> > bar, it pops up
>> > (as it should) and the NT Task Manager CPU
>>load jumps up to
>> > float around
>> > 40-60% for the XWin.exe. Then, the KDE task
>>bar stays up
>> > while the mouse is
>> > over the Cygwin/XFree86 title bar. When I
>>push the minimize
>> > button, the CPU
>> > load stays the same.
>> >
>> > This is true even when some other Windows
>>program currently
>> > has the focus
>> > (e.g. Launch Mozilla then Cygwin/XFree86.
>>Alt/Tab from
>> > Cygwin/XFree86 to
>> > Mozilla. The KDE task bar can be activated by
>>simply moving
>> > the mouse over
>> > that area even though Cygwin/XFree86 does not
>>have the active focus.
>> > Now position the Mozilla (or other Windows
>>program) partly over the
>> > Cygwin/XFree86 title bar. With the KDE
>>auto-hide task bar NOT
>> > active, there
>> > is a path to the Cygwin/XFree86 title bar
>>that does NOT
>> > activate the KCD
>> > task bar. When minimized like this, the CPU
>>load is NOT increased.
>> >
>> > My belief is that the interaction between the
>>KDE auto-hide bar and
>> > Cygwin/XFree86 requires that the mouse
>>messages be monitored
>> > by the KDE. So
>> > I presume the socket for the X messages must
>>then be getting
>> > used by KDE
>> > asking "Has the mouse moved away from the
>>active bar area?".
>> > It seems to me
>> > that it has but that Cygwin/XFree86 can not
>>determine this.
>> > I know very little about X messages. Is there
>>something that
>> > can be done
>> > about this besides move the task bar to the
>>bottom bar and/or
>> > make it not
>> > auto-hide?
>> > Also, is there some way to make the Alt/Space
>>combination activate the
>> > Cygwin/XFree86 Windows system menu?
>> >
>> > Thank you,
>> >
>> > Steve Stone
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Steve Stone
>> > 503.672.5771
>> >
>> >
>>
>
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