Flashes of Panic

Now that I am running two different machines with dual cores, there are some details I need to get used to.

Load average numbers, for example. Normally a load average of 1 means the machine is perfectly utilized, an instruction always coming up just as the CPU is available to handle it, no wasted time and no waiting. With a dual-core machine, that number is 2. If I saw a long-term load of 1.5 on a single-core machine, I’d be worried; with these, it means the system is practically coasting.

Likewise, I can run top and get some surreal numbers. Right now, for example, I see a process on the Mini which is taking 188.9% of the available CPU time.

Now Playing: 109.Pt2 from Some Friendly by The Charlatans

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