home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The CICA Windows Explosion!
/
The CICA Windows Explosion! - Disc 1.iso
/
util
/
perfm30p.zip
/
PERFMETR.TXT
< prev
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-07-27
|
9KB
|
253 lines
Windows 3.1 Performance Meter Version 3.00 (Pre-Release)
========================================================
WHAT IS PERFMETER?
==================
Perfmeter is a small program that shows you how much your
computer has to do.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
=================
A lot of people asked me how I (resp. the program) measure the
CPU┤s performance. To help everybody who wants to know it -- here
is the trick (you should know a little bit of windows programming
to understand the following section):
Windows offers a system timer event. Perfmeter tries to get a
system timer message 55 times every second. Since Windows is
non-preemptive (until today, if this changes Perfmeter won┤t work
any longer) and the timer message has lowest priority and the
message will be omitted if the next timer message comes in the
message queue, Perfmeter can estimate the CPU usage by counting
how many messages come in and comparing this to the number of
messages expected. That┤s all. Now, go ahead and write your
own Perfmeter -- or just use the original.
INSTALLATION
============
Installation is easy, just copy perfmetr.exe to any directory you
like it to stay and run it. If you like Perfmeter to start up every
time you start windows, place it in your "Autoexec" group in the
Program manager or edit the line "run=" in your win.ini file
according to your windows documentation.
WHY USE PERFMETER AND NOT ANY OTHER CPU-PERFORMANCE MONITOR?
============================================================
Since there are millions of cpu-performance monitors I decided to
get some of these (I think I got all that are on ftp.cica.indiana.edu)
and compare them to Perfmeter.
Below is what I got. Remember: Every statement is my own opinion and
I cannot be held responsible for anything caused by stating this.
If I am wrong in anything I will be glad to correct it, just tell me.
CPUUSE (version tested: 1.6)
----------------------------
Memory usage after global compact: 13536 Bytes
+ Keep in Front
+ No registration fee
+ keyboad support
- needs calibration (measurement only relative to cpu usage at starting time)
- no histograph, only (not very informing) percentage
- only as an icon
- fixed speed
- fixed colors
LoadMon (version tested: 1.1)
----------------------------
Memory usage after global compact: 8512 Bytes
+ No registration fee
+ low memory usage^
+ System information
+ shows Memory usage
+ keyboard support
- CPU usage measurement very poor, does not tell anything
- only as an icon
Odometer (version: 1.2)
-----------------------------
- needs VBRUN200.DLL to run (I do not have this, so I did not test anymore)
CPUMETER (version tested: 1.00Beta)
-----------------------------------
Memory usage after global compact: 8704 Bytes
- crashed my mouse cursor while I tried to move it
- needs calibration (s.a., has recalibration feature that does not make it any
better)
- $15 registration fee (crazy!)
- no histograph, only a bar graph with a silly percentage in it
- not resizable, not movable without problems
+ low memory usage
Sysuse (version tested: 1.3)
----------------------------
- crashed
After I tested these, I stopped testing the other ones. I would
like to include more tests, if anybody sends them to me.
DISCLAIMER & COPYRIGHT
======================
Ok, listen:
The last versions of Perfmeter had a note that it is *NOT*
allowed to be published in magazines or by commercial
copying businesses.
Maybe these people had their brains switched off. They did
it. They published it. They sold it. They did everything
they should not do without even telling me. So I┤ll take
the consequences:
EVERYBODY is allowed to make as many copies as he wants
and to give them to other people, as long as the fee for
this is a reasonable amount (let┤s say, $2.50 or less, not
including disks). I expect to get a note if the fee exceeds
$2.50. If the program is published in a magazine I will get
a free copy of the magazine. If the program is published
on CD I will get a free copy of the CD.
Everybody who uses the program does it on his or her own risk. I
do not take any responsibility for any damages that are caused
by the program, even though I am sure there won┤t be any.
KNOWN BUGS
==========
If the CPU is loaded by a 100 Percent, Perfmeter will show this in the
moment the load is lower. This sounds reasonable to me, because it were
silly if Perfmeter could tell you that all time is used up by other
programs. I know a way how to change this, and if there are many people
bothered by the above fact, I may change it. Just tell me.
If a color is used for fore- or background which is dithered, that means
which is obtained by mixing two colors, the scrolling will create stripes.
This is due to the (windows internal) scrolling routine, and the only
way to change this is to repaint the whole window every time it is
updated. This is obviously too much effort. FIX: Use a color that is
solid. Maybe I will include a option for repainting in a later version.
The keyboard support lacks resize and move, I don┤t know why I forget
to put this in the menus. The official release 3.00 will have this.
The autosave feature does not work correctly, I think, but I do not
remember exactly. Please mail me your experiences.
THANKS
======
Thanks to everybody who made this program possible.
Thanks to everybody who uses this program.
Special Thanks to the people on comp.windows.ms.programmer, who
helped me to solve several problems, and to all the people that
send mail to me making suggestions.
REGISTRATION, BUGREPORTS, SUGGESTIONS AND EVERYTHING ELSE
=========================================================
There is an easy, painless way to register Perfmeter:
Send a mail with the subject "Perfmeter 3.00 (PR) --- Registration",
your full name and address, and, if you like, some more information
on your person to hund@inf.fu-berlin.de . That┤s all.
What do you get when you are registered?
You will receive a mail notification every time there is a new
release of Perfmeter. Since this won┤t happen to often, you need not
worry about being junked with perfmeter-release-mail. I promise!
In addition, you may receive as many uuencoded copies of perfmeter
as you like, by simply writing a mail. Isn┤t that great?
PLEASE REGISTER! as I would like to know where Perfmeter is used
in the world. The more people register, the more I like to do
the programming work.
If you have questions or suggestions, if you find bugs or anything else, feel
free to send a mail and ask, complain or --- even better --- acclaim. If
you really like the program, you have the chance to send $1 or more to the
following address. If you do not like to send money to programmers, you
may send a postcard (but a nice one!!).
+---------------------+
| Ulrich Hund | <----------- cut here !
| Derfflingerstr. 17a |
| D-12249 Berlin |
| Germany |
+---------------------+
German residents may use the following bank account to send their money:
Berliner Sparkasse, Konto Nr. 1250207149, BLZ 100 500 00
Future releases of Perfmeter will be available at known Windows ftp-servers
worldwide.
Have fun!
Ulli (hund@inf.fu-berlin.de)
*******************************************************************************
Version History:
1.0 | - First Version that became distributed.
-----+
1.01 | - Improvements in calculating used CPU-time.
-----+ - Checking for the icon size (limited to 65 pixels width)
- better positioning of graph within the icon
- some other minor improvements
1.02 | - some changes to the aboutbox
-----+
1.03 | - minor bug fixes
-----+ - smoother graphic
- three different speeds, put "S","M" or "F" on the command line
to achieve slow, medium or fast speed (default: medium).
1.04 | - bug fix. Bug did not appear in 1.02 but in 1.03
-----+ - even smoother graphic
- new icon (the old one was too ugly)
2.00 | - Program fully rewritten (now TPW -- no more C!)
-----+ - more than one instance
- no more limitation in icon size
- improved scrolling
- own .ini file for saving size and speed information
- no more command line option for speed
2.01 | - minor bug fix
-----+ - much smaller memory usage (before: >45K now: <16K
- a lot of tuning has been done
2.02 | - KeepInFront option
-----+ - CustomColor option
- again only one instance allowed
3.00 | - Windows 3.1 compatible KeepInFront instead of dirty hacking
-----+ - Full keyboard support (lacking resize)
(Pre- - Improved menu supporting speed and color change
Release)- Autosave of window position, speed and color
- Internal speed improvement
- using a section in win.ini instead of own initialisation file
- Change of size does not destroy statistic any more
- New email- and home address shown in aboutbox (what a difference!)
*******************************************************************************
(c)1991-1994 Ulrich Hund