cpu cycles

[therapon]

Hi,

This isn't anything new, I'm just getting around to asking I'm presently running theword-3.2.1.1309 on kubuntu 12.04 and wine 1.5.7. TW uses up cpu cycles constantly, whether the TW window is active or not. Once it's completely started, ActionEdit (for example) stops using cpu cycles until there's some activity in the window. Depending on the version of wine, TW cpu usage runs from 2% to 8 or 9% when idling. Two side effects of this: increased cpu temperature, decreased battery life. Negative influence on battery life is an issue since I run TW on a laptop.

Is there any way, a setting change or something, to get TW to stop using cpu cycles when the window is not active?

therapon

[csterg]

This is interesting; on windows this does not happen; i can tell you that there is nothing going on in the background while theWord is inactive, no threads running or anything else (there are some that only do some gui house-cleaning but they sit idle when you do nothing).

Can anyone else post here a similar issue on windows or linux?
Costas

[therapon]

I ran TW with this command: strace -o tw.txt wine theword.exe

It fills up the output file with megabytes of the following:

rt_sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, [HUP INT USR1 USR2 ALRM CHLD IO], [], 8 ) = 0
write(3, "x\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\377\4\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0"..., 64) = 64
read(5, "\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0"..., 64) = 64
rt_sigprocmask(SIG_SETMASK, [], NULL, 8 ) = 0

and a set of these thrown in every so often:

recv(6, 0x7c9ec400, 4096, 0) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable)
recv(6, 0x7c9ec400, 4096, 0) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable)
recv(11, 0x7c9717c0, 4096, 0) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable)

Don't know if this helps or not.

therapon

[mathetes]

I am running theWord version 3.2.1.1274 with Kubuntu 12.04 and WINE version 1.5.7 When minimized it is at 0% CPU time.

[therapon]

Mine goes to 0%, too, when I minimize TW. Just now was the first time I've minimized TW in years! I never have a need to do so since it's nicely parked on one side of my desktop cube. I leave it open and maximized all the time.

[csterg]

I ran TW with this command: strace -o tw.txt wine theword.exe

It fills up the output file with megabytes of the following:

rt_sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, [HUP INT USR1 USR2 ALRM CHLD IO], [], 8 ) = 0
write(3, "x\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\377\4\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0"..., 64) = 64
read(5, "\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0"..., 64) = 64
rt_sigprocmask(SIG_SETMASK, [], NULL, 8 ) = 0

and a set of these thrown in every so often:

recv(6, 0x7c9ec400, 4096, 0) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable)
recv(6, 0x7c9ec400, 4096, 0) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable)
recv(11, 0x7c9717c0, 4096, 0) = -1 EAGAIN (Resource temporarily unavailable)

Don't know if this helps or not.

therapon

Unfortunately i don't understand what that means.

[therapon]

Did some further checking, changed the strace command a little to attach to an existing thread. strace with ActionEdit gives similar output but only when the window is active. If it is inactive, it just sits there. Mousing over the window causes the kind of output in the prior post as does making the window active. The rate at which those lines are produced seem to indicate it has something to do with the application trying to determine cursor position. I could be way wrong about the cause, I'm not a programmer.

[csterg]

this is a possibility yes; what looks strange is the amount of cpu it takes; it's normal for applications to do something while inactive, but this should be so 'small' that it goes unnoticed and takes up no noticeable CPU. Don't know how to be of more help here,
Costas

[therapon]

Switching from Kwin to Kwin GLES window manager took care of the issue. I'm not sure if that counts as a solution or workaround, but cpu cycles are down in the <2% range which is tolerable.

therapon