Re: Re: Slow Version 4 Front End
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg18973] Re: [mg18761] Re: Slow Version 4 Front End
- From: dougb at xti.com (Doug Buettner)
- Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 01:33:57 -0400
- Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
I use Math 4 on a 300 MHz Windows NT 4.0 system at work, and have noticed
a considerable slow down in the front end as well.
However, here is something I discovered quite by accident...
Cells Grouped to Generate LOTS of Data with print statements (group 1)]
Cells Grouped to Generate Graphics from the Data (group 2)]
Try this little experiment...
Totally close down Mathematica and simultaneously select both
groups for evaluation (shift+enter)... => Resulting execution is very slow.
Again totally shut down Mathematica but this time only launch group 1
Execution time is much faster... When group 1 computation is complete launch
group 2. Still pretty quick by comparison.
But... now try and regenerate the data by executing the group 1 cells again..
and you return to the molasses front end.
Doug Buettner
Sr. Analyst
XonTech, Inc.
In article <7n7gns$n81$2 at dragonfly.wolfram.com>, Richard Gass
<gass at physics.uc.edu> wrote:
>>In article <7mp3gt$l9b at smc.vnet.net>, Bob Stagat <stagat at mrcsb.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm using Mathematica 4 on a PowerMac. When I was using version 3, if I
>>> evaluated a cell that contained a very simple expression -- 2+2, say --
>>> it would evaluate very quickly -- in some fraction of a second. Both
>>> measured in CPU time, as evaluated by the kernel's Timing[] function, and
>>> in wall clock time, as evaluated by the Front End's "ShowTiming" option.
>>>
>>> With Mathematica 4, evaluating a cell takes an absolute minimum of about
>>> 4.2 seconds of wall clock time, as indicated by the Front End's
>>> "ShowTiming" function -- and also by my monotonically increasing
>>> frustration level. Even for trivial evaluations, like 2+2, for which
>>> Timing[] returns {0. Second, 4}, but which the Front End shows took 4.42
>>> seconds of wall clock time.
>>>
>>> Why is the version 4 Front End so abysmally slow in communicating with
>>> the kernel? What in the world is consuming this 4+ seconds of overhead on
>>> every single thing I evaluate? Are there any options I can set to
>>> eliminate these inordinate delays? I know it doesn't have to be so,
>>> because version 3 never exhibited this frustrating behavior.
>>
>>I would say you have it misconfigured somehow. I don't find this problem
>>in Windows, Linux or MacOS.
>>
>>On the MacOS, I tried it on both a 400MHz B&W G3 and a 266MHz Gray G3. I
>>get 0. Second for simple additions, on both platforms. This is using
>>MacOS 8.6, with the Standard Install.
>>
>>Try running with just the 8.6 extensions on.
>>
>>--Ron Bruck
>I think the problem is more subtle. On my G3 at home 4.0 is fine. However
>at work on my 8500 I notice the same problem that Bob does. The Timings are
>ok but it takes the Front End several second before it talks to the kernel.
>This problem goes away if there is no delay between running several lines
>of code. It is as if the kernel goes to sleep. I have not yet succeeded in
>tracking down the problem.
>Richard Gass
>Department of Physics
>University of Cincinnati
>Cincinnati, OH 45221
>phone- 513-556-0519
>E-Mail gass at physics.uc.edu
>
>
>