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Gnome optimization


ilia_kr
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GNOME optimization - i found this link at www.linux.org.ru (russian site).

 

gnomefiles provide some scripts for gnome optimization:

Optimize different GNOME applications to make it more faster and responsive.

 

XML Optimization is a set of method that reformat the XML metadata for use with XML stream. The process is used in websites to minimize network bandwidth consumption and increase the memory space for the applications who store them locally. XML metadata is used by modern applications like OpenOffice.org, GNOME, Evolution, Rhythmbox, GDM, etc., and is used in SVG graphic rendering. By Optimizing the XML metadata that those applications use, the application who parse them will require less memory usage, and less time parsing, thus improving speed and responsiveness.

By XML Optimization, the metadata will be preformatted, by removing the whitespace between the tags, and compacting the whole XML content into a single line, without making any changes in the data inside the tags. The process will make the file much smaller, giving increased memory space, and increased ease for the xml parser to read it.

 

contains,

 

rhythmbox-quickstart

evolution-optimize

gnome-optimize

openoffice-optimize

doc-optimize

gconf-optimize

 

Guys from linux.org.ru argue that the slow performance of GNOME in comparison to KDE is due to extensive XML use (KDE as thay say uses plain text configs). Some claim that XML parser is responsible for that, other blame XML itself.

 

 

What do you think?

 

P.S. Looks like another KDE vs. GNOME clash :joker:

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Arent plain text files supposed to be even slower than xml? It might make GNOME faster but I dont believe that that is what makes GNOME slower compared to KDE (i prefer kde for looks and ease of use but ubuntu w/gnome runs faster on my comp than mandriva w/ kde)

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I believe that XML is slower than a plain text. XML is a mark-up language, so it contains loads of special tags and because it is a language - there are rules for operating those tags. All that slows down the parsing process. In a plain text configs you do not necessarily have tags, you may arrange the content of a file whatever you like but that can harm the compability.

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Interesting topic!

I have 2005SE on this machine in Gnome, and SUSE 10.0 on an identical machine in the other room. According to the Gnome System Monitor the SUSE - computer occupies approx 307MB (!) more RAM just when booted up with no extra applications running. It also is much slower. Initially I thought Mandriva was bloated...

Helmut

Edited by Helmut
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Interesting topic!

I have 2005SE on this machine in Gnome, and SUSE 10.0 on an identical machine in the other room. According to the Gnome System Monitor the SUSE - computer occupies approx 307MB (!) more RAM just when booted up with no extra applications running. It also is much slower. Initially I thought Mandriva was bloated...

Helmut

 

What?? The same computer: 71mB Mandriva2006 and 73mB FC4. No additional apps.

 

Forgot to mention: i've set the gconf to reduced_resourses=true

Edited by ilia_kr
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Metacity uses xml and is a little slower than the 'boxes' which are usually text.

 

KDE loads a lot in mem ahead of time, so it is naturally faster (they say). A big slow down for Gnome was the addition of Cairo.

 

My wife was using 2005LE Gnome2.8 up until a few weeks ago and she says Ubuntu Dapper Gnome2.14 is a lot snappier and faster and loves the swith overall. I thought the opposite but then I've been Ubuntu since Warty-beta.

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XML in 2 seconds:

<></>

congratulations, you just learned XML.

 

I don't believe XML slows down load time versus plain text files. Really, XML is a plain text file - it just has tags to identify sections, and the processing of this really doesn't slow things down all that much compared to a "plain text" file.

 

To be honest, I have run both KDE and GNOME and I haven't noticed either to be of a slower response than the other. I have noticed, however, that KDE hugs a tad more memory. And there were a lot of speedups in gnome 2.14 - i.e., gnome-terminal is much faster.

 

Helmut: it's almost pointless to compare the speed/resource usage of two different desktop environments running on two different machines, and on two different distributions nonetheless.

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removing white space and return characters really doesn't make that big of a difference in the grand scheme. XML files usually aren't stored in memory, just read when a program starts for the necessary information and possibly a few times during program usage - but if a program is loading XML files into memory on a regular basis it's inefficient. XML should be read to get variables, and those variables should be what are stored in memory (with the program) - at which time all the white space and return characters aren't present anyways (if the programmer is worth his salt).

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removing white space and return characters really doesn't make that big of a difference in the grand scheme. XML files usually aren't stored in memory, just read when a program starts for the necessary information and possibly a few times during program usage - but if a program is loading XML files into memory on a regular basis it's inefficient. XML should be read to get variables, and those variables should be what are stored in memory (with the program) - at which time all the white space and return characters aren't present anyways (if the programmer is worth his salt).

 

That's right, but it takes some time to read the whole file, rendrer it, then find a needed key/option. The larger a file - the more time you need to render it and then search for a proper option. Deleting white spaces and return chars makes a file much smaller (though less readable for human).

It is pity you can not read the original post, they give some clever explanations there, and i think i support them. Some said that gnome's xml parser is kind of a slow.

 

but if a program is loading XML files into memory on a regular basis it's inefficient. XML should be read to get variables, and those variables should be what are stored in memory (with the program) - at which time all the white space and return characters aren't present anyways (if the programmer is worth his salt).

 

If the program reads xml file and then stores it in variables, than indeed xml file is read only few times while the program is running. If it is so, then how does gnome enable instant apply of gconf? In kde for example you don't have this feature.

Edited by ilia_kr
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That's right, but it takes some time to read the whole file, rendrer it, then find a needed key/option. The larger a file - the more time you need to render it and then search for a proper option. Deleting white spaces and return chars makes a file much smaller (though less readable for human).

It is pity you can not read the original post, they give some clever explanations there, and i think i support them. Some said that gnome's xml parser is kind of a slow.

When I studied computer sciences, a while back (never finished the first year though, as it was just a hobby and had other more important thing to do), our very first programming assignment, after about 1 week, was to write a simple c++ precompiler, which I guess would do more or less the same as the xml parser. It wasn´´ t very hard at all and I cannot imagine that in all those years, all the people working for GNOME haven´t come up with something good...

Edited by spinynorman
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When I studied computer sciences, a while back (never finished the first year though, as it was just a hobby and had other more important thing to do), our very first programming assignment, after about 1 week, was to write a simple c++ precompiler, which I guess would do more or less the same as the xml parser. It wasn´´ t very hard at all and I cannot imagine that in all those years, all the people working for GNOME haven´t come up with something good...

 

Maybe in order to improve their parser they sacrifised the speed or... who knows where did they learn they programming skills :P

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