🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3vrguc$ga6@navajo.gate.net> cirby@news.gate.net (Chad Irby) writes:
>Joe Sloan (jjs@dostoevsky.ucr.edu) wrote:
>: Chad Irby <cirby@news.gate.net> wrote:
>: >You don't have to sit at a machine to use it.  If there are processes 
>: >running that are supposed to do things, then it's being used by someone.
>
>: Yeah, if you think "bin" and "daemon" are "someone"...
>
>Oh- so you run those processes, leave them up, and never use the friggin' 
>computer for anything else?  "Don't touch it!  That's the bin and daemon 
>machine- nobody ever gets to use it!"
>
>: >If there's nobody using the machine, you should turn it off and save some 
>: >energy...
>
>: What a bogus idea -
>
>: I've got email coming in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week...
>
>Oh?  Then you're USING THE DAMNED MACHINE, aren't you?

Look, we're having a debate over how you interpret the english language...
The point is that UNIX machines are always "doing something."  This
"something" could mean it is just waiting around to do something.
The "something" that it may have to do could be important like
receiving email. If you consider the waiting period between
receiving email as "someone using the machine" then fine. 

>Look- being a "user" doesn't mean you sit in front of the computer every 
>minute you're using it.  It means you "use" the computer to do things.  
>Like collect your mail.  If you start a long process that's going to run 
>six hours, then walk away from the computer, does that mean you're not 
>using it?

If you're running a compile or simulation overnight then yes you
are using the computer.  The $.02 question is if a daemon or
background process is running but only does something once in a while
(new mail, web access) then is a "user" using the machine.  

>: I should shut down the machine and just let email bounce? There are
>: students logging in at odd hours to compile programs, read mail/news,
>: write documents, etc... ftp and www usage is not limited to some 9-to-5 
>: schedule. The German and Australian netizens who download files from 
>: here "in the middle of the night" might also take issue with your idea...
>
>Think *really* hard about what you're saying here.  That computer is 
>there for people to *use*.  You might be the sysadmin, but those people 
>who download files are *using* the machine.  You yourself are *using* the 
>machine to act as a file/mail server, as well as letting those other 
>people *use* the machine for those other purposes.
>
>If there are no users and no jobs running, then it's not a computer- it's 
>a space heater.

Is nfsd a job?  Is httpd a job?  In order for those Germans to use
the machine the daemon has to being running 24-7.  During those
in between times when no one is accessing anything is the computer
being used?  Someone (you?) said that if the computer is not being
used for anything then you should turn it off.  The computer
sitting around waiting for a web access isn't doing anything
strenous but it is waiting around for something to happen.  The point
is/was that most UNIX machines are *always* running something even
if these jobs were not submitted by a non-root user. 

Ravi