• From: Prague
  • Registered: 2010-07-13
  • Posts: 75

Topic: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

Aello
I have discovered way to make PC go faster than normal.
By optimizing config files for openbox and tint2 I have drastcally improved performance.
What I did was take out all of the comments and removed unnecesarry lines to make the files smaller.
The files I changed are put below:

Openbox's autostart.sh wrote:

volwheel &
nitrogen --restore &
(sleep 4s && nm-applet) &
tint2 &
play "/home/user/.startup/boot.ogg"&

tint2's config wrote:

# BACKGROUND AND BORDER
#---------------------------------------------
rounded = 0
border_width = 1
background_color = #FFFFFF 0
border_color = #FFFFFF 20

rounded = 0
border_width = 0
background_color = #ffffff 20
border_color = #ffffff 20

rounded = 0
border_width = 0
background_color = #ffffff 0
border_color = #ffffff 0

# PANEL
#---------------------------------------------
panel_monitor = all
panel_position = top center
panel_size = 92% 28
panel_margin = 0 0
panel_padding = 7 0
font_shadow = 0
panel_background_id = 0

# TASKBAR
#---------------------------------------------
taskbar_mode = multi_desktop
taskbar_padding = 0 0 0
taskbar_background_id = 1

# TASKS
#---------------------------------------------
task_icon = 1
task_text = 0
task_width = 40
task_centered = 1
task_padding = 2 2
task_font = sans 7
task_font_color = #ffffff 70
task_active_font_color = #ffffff 85
task_background_id = 3
task_active_background_id = 2

# SYSTRAYBAR
#---------------------------------------------
systray_padding = 4 2 3
systray_background_id = 0

# CLOCK
#---------------------------------------------
time1_format = %I:%M %p
time1_font = sans 8
time2_format = %a %d %B
time2_font = sans 6
clock_font_color = #ffffff 76
clock_padding = 4 4
clock_background_id = 0

I also removed things I dont use from openbox's rc.xml like desktop switching hotkeys and multiple desktops but some people use this feature so I not push that one.

Thank You everyone!

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  • From: Narnia
  • Registered: 2010-07-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

I don't think removing comments did much for you. Your performance gains are probably from the hacks you mentioned at the end of your post.

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  • benj1
  • Wiki Wizard
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  • From: Yorkshire, England
  • Registered: 2009-09-05
  • Posts: 1,084

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

have you timed this, what sort of time saving are we talking about ?

im slightly skeptical, slimming down a config file shouldn't realy make much of a difference, and neither should removing comment lines, the only thing that should appreciably speed up the boot, is that youve got less stuff starting up.

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  • From: Scotland
  • Registered: 2009-12-29
  • Posts: 330

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

After all you removed all but 4-5 things, this is bout to make an impact (when I was using it, I removed the nm-applet also, but may be you use it). But I guess if you can stir off additional seconds by removing the things in rc.xml you're not using, it would be great.

  • From: Prague
  • Registered: 2010-07-13
  • Posts: 75

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

Tiomaidh wrote:

I don't think removing comments did much for you. Your performance gains are probably from the hacks you mentioned at the end of your post.

So are you saying that the performance is more impacted by the rc file? or that all of it combined did the job.

benj1 wrote:

have you timed this, what sort of time saving are we talking about ?

no I did not time the difference but it was significant enough for me to notice and to think it was big enough to share it here. Sorry, I should have thought of timing it first.

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  • gareim
  • #! CrunchBanger
  • Offline
  • From: Chicago
  • Registered: 2009-11-11
  • Posts: 154

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

Sometimes the perceived speed boost is greater than the actual speed boost. smile But it can't hurt to trim down things.

  • From: Narnia
  • Registered: 2010-07-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

andrews wrote:
Tiomaidh wrote:

I don't think removing comments did much for you. Your performance gains are probably from the hacks you mentioned at the end of your post.

So are you saying that the performance is more impacted by the rc file? or that all of it combined did the job.

I'm saying that performance is impacted by the removal of features like multiple desktops, not the removal of comments. Granted, I suppose that removing an extreme number of comments would speed things up a bit since tint2/openbox/conky/whatever has less things to parse, but loading the rc file into RAM and then parsing it is not really resource-intensive, AFAIK.

Tiomaidh's Website

  • From: Prague
  • Registered: 2010-07-13
  • Posts: 75

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

Do multiple desktops use alot of resources?

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  • From: Narnia
  • Registered: 2010-07-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

andrews wrote:

Do multiple desktops use alot of resources?

I don't have time to experiment right now and give you a precise number, but I'm sure they're more resource-hungry than processing comments in a config file. Heck, even the 6 tty sessions open take up a bit of resources: http://kmandla.wordpress.com/projects/s … _tty_count

[Sorry, I'm too ignorant to make proper links here]

Tiomaidh's Website

  • benj1
  • Wiki Wizard
  • Offline
  • From: Yorkshire, England
  • Registered: 2009-09-05
  • Posts: 1,084

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

@andrews
why don't you reinstate the old rc files, see if that affects boot time, i realy can't see it making a huge difference to boot time, openbox loads fairly quickly anyway, the biggest saving youre going to make is actually reading  the rc file from the hd, that difference could be more than mitigated by the size of the wallpaper image youre using.

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  • benj1
  • Wiki Wizard
  • Offline
  • From: Yorkshire, England
  • Registered: 2009-09-05
  • Posts: 1,084

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

ok done some experiments:
removed everything from menu.xml, everything except gmrun shortcut and virtdesktops = 1 from rc.xml and all comments from autostart.sh, so the only things needing to be parsed are basically a few openning and closing tags.
run on a very old computer, thus the glacial times, repeated 3 times each

results
boot to password prompt:
slightly quicker, 46s v 48s <5% improvement (this shouldn't be affected at all though, all the stuff happens after the password is entered).

password prompt to wallpaper:
12.3 v 12.6 so very marginal improvement within the margin of error, this should have been where the speedup showed.

openbox --reconfigure
reloads configuration files so should again highlight (infact highlight even more) config file simplification, even less difference around 0.2s each.

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  • From: Bigfoot Country
  • Registered: 2010-06-12
  • Posts: 1,360

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

the biggest speed increases you'll get is if you get away from gdm and network-manager

Run tell that, homeboy.  -Antoine Dodson

rstrcogburn's Website

  • From: Narnia
  • Registered: 2010-07-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

rstrcogburn wrote:

the biggest speed increases you'll get is if you get away from...network-manager

And use what, wicd? Or iwconfig? network-manager is actually driving me up the wall--it must take 15 seconds or so to connect to my wireless network.

Tiomaidh's Website

  • From: Bigfoot Country
  • Registered: 2010-06-12
  • Posts: 1,360

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

@tido  hey man, try ceni it's from sidux and works great

Run tell that, homeboy.  -Antoine Dodson

rstrcogburn's Website

  • From: Narnia
  • Registered: 2010-07-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

rstrcogburn wrote:

@tido  hey man, try ceni it's from sidux and works great

It looks cool, but I seem to lack the necessary magic. AFAIK I configured it OK, and then it was connecting, and then...

ifi0: unknown hardware address type 801
wifi0: unknown hardware address type 801
Listening on LPF/ath0/00:05:4e:40:37:76
Sending on   LPF/ath0/00:05:4e:40:37:76
Sending on   Socket/fallback
DHCPDISCOVER on ath0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 5
DHCPDISCOVER on ath0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 5
tim@carleytech-t40:~$ o 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 14
DHCPDISCOVER on ath0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 15
DHCPDISCOVER on ath0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 14
DHCPDISCOVER on ath0 to 255.255.255.255 port 67 interval 8
No DHCPOFFERS received.
No working leases in persistent database - sleeping.
run-parts --verbose /etc/network/if-up.d
run-parts: executing /etc/network/if-up.d/avahi-daemon
run-parts: executing /etc/network/if-up.d/mountnfs
run-parts: executing /etc/network/if-up.d/ntpdate
run-parts: executing /etc/network/if-up.d/wpasupplicant

Tiomaidh's Website

  • From: Bigfoot Country
  • Registered: 2010-06-12
  • Posts: 1,360

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

@ tio dunno, your problems seem to be more driver centric than config.  you are using an ath0 device,  are you using statler or what buddy?

Run tell that, homeboy.  -Antoine Dodson

rstrcogburn's Website

  • From: Narnia
  • Registered: 2010-07-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

rstrcogburn wrote:

@ tio dunno, your problems seem to be more driver centric than config.  you are using an ath0 device,  are you using statler or what buddy?

I'm using 9.04 with an updated kernel and the restricted "madwifi" driver...which works with network-mangler.

Tiomaidh's Website

  • From: Bigfoot Country
  • Registered: 2010-06-12
  • Posts: 1,360

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

@tido, make sure ceni is on automatic and not hotploug. reboot.  Tell me how it goes partner.

Run tell that, homeboy.  -Antoine Dodson

rstrcogburn's Website

  • From: Narnia
  • Registered: 2010-07-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

rstrcogburn wrote:

@tido, make sure ceni is on automatic and not hotploug. reboot.  Tell me how it goes partner.

Word, that did it (especially rebooting). tongue

It also broke network-manager, but I guess I can deal with that smile

Thanks for the help!

Tiomaidh's Website

  • From: Narnia
  • Registered: 2010-07-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Huge performance boost in Crunch 9.xx

@rs<tab> One more amateur question: How do I get ceni to be autostarted? I wish I could just put `ceni` in autostart.sh, but it needs root permission...how does that work?

Tiomaidh's Website