[indiana-discuss] FAM-2 ( was Re: Indiana Problem Statement )

[Shawn Walker]

On 02/07/07, Rich Burridge <Rich.Burridge at sun.com> wrote:
> Shawn Walker wrote:
> > Those are all great reasons for shipping top.
> >
> > So, then the question becomes, should we fix prstat's shortcomings or
> > ship top and accept defeat? (only half joking)
> >
> > This is a case where I would rather fix all the problems or
> > shortcomings that prstat has then ship top simply because its easier.
> >
> > I would be inclined to fix prstat, and then setup a symlink so that
> > when prstat is invoked as top, it shows output like top would...
> >
> > Do you foresee a problem with that?
> >
>
> Okay, I'll bite. Yes I do. Why would somebody want to spend man weeks/months
> re-engineering prstat to look like something that already exists and works?
> I'd like to think that Sun could just gracefully admit that top (mostly)
> does a better job and gracefully go with it.

top doesn't do the same thing the prstat does, that has already been
established.

So again, the question is, why not fix prstat's shortcomings?

top isn't perfect either; it has shortcomings as well.

One could argue, other operating systems are already so successful,
why bother spending man weeks/months re-engineering its success and
just close up the OpenSolaris project and go home (I'm playing devil's
advocate here).

> I'd also like to think that we could all focus on the much bigger picture
> that trying to nut out whether we should be shipping prstat and/or top on
> the core CD.

It is true that top could be shipped until a better solution is put
into place, and compromises like that are certainly welcome.

However, I don't think that just because of resources that we should
accept usability or other shortcomings in a project.

The fact still remains that prstat could stand to be improved as could top.

-- 
Shawn Walker, Software and Systems Analyst
binarycrusader at gmail.com - http://binarycrusader.blogspot.com/

"Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not
tried it. " --Donald Knuth