Subject: Re: internet draft on suggested mod to the Nagle algorithm

From: Vernon Schryver <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 16:48:01 -0700 (MST)

> From: [email-masked] (Sam Manthorpe)

> ...
> > Q: If Nagle is a problem for my application, I can just disable it
> > altogether. What benefit is there in changing Nagle so that it affects
> > ALL transactions instead of just the ones I'm troubled by?
>
> Because you just have to make one change to the kernel code instead
> of many changes to all applications which do bulk data transfer.  Moreover, 
> in some cases, you will have to introduce some special intelligence
> in the application so that it can decide _whether_ it is doing bulk
> transfer or not.  Why not just put this extra intelligence in the
> kernel.

While I think the proposed change is a good thing, that argument
in favor of it is a pretty compelling argument against it.

Outside of some outfits that believe their customers are best served with
amazingly buggy bloatware and have no idea of the meaning of "freaping
creaturism" (or have business reasons for throwing absolutely everything
into their so called operating systems), a "kernel" is universally expected
to be minimal.  You put only the minimal features into a kernel.  "Neat"
is a very pejorative word when it comes to adding things to kernels.

Vernon Schryver    [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Sam Manthorpe)
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 20:33:27 -0800 (PST)

> is a very pejorative word when it comes to adding things to kernels.

Point taken.  However, from the point of view of kernel implementation 
this trivial mod can result in a significant performance improvement for 
lots of applications.    And it isn't a `neat feature' it's a harmless 
bending of the rules that IMO falls well into the grey area of RFC deviance 
justified by the `be conservative in what you specify but liberal in what 
you accept' philosophy.  I like Greg's ID and proposed ligitimisation of
this change.

-- Sam

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sam Manthorpe, SGI.  tel: (650)933-2856 fax: (650)932-2856  [email-masked]