Did somebody tried to decrease priority of FM?

[Anatoli]

Did somebody tried to decrease priority of FileMaker process?

Even it is on "normal" it is occupying 100% of processor time.

We have build killer machine for night script processing:

W2k, 2.8GHz P4, 533MHz RIMM memory, 1GB network, fastest SCSI 15000 RPM drives.

FM client is so badly written application, that Task Manager, which is process with highest priority is getting so few cycles, it takes minute or two to display window.

When I access this machine through PC Anywhere, the first screen is displayed after 15-30 minutes.

When FM is idle, the screen is shown in split second.

Any ideas?

[Kurt Knippel]

I have not noticed such things with the FM app running. Is this while some script is running? Possibly write some pauses into the script which will allow for other processes to grab the processor. I would think that this has something to do with cooperative multi-taksing.

[Anatoli]

Thank you.

That is why I am saying, lousy programming.

There are only 2 applications behaving like that: FileMaker and GoLive.

On Windows shouldn't exist something like cooperative multi-tasking.

IMHO -- very bad port from Mac version.

[Kurt Knippel]

This does not have anything to do with the Mac version. The Windows product is a totally seperate product development effort. This does have alot to do with the structure of the Mac and Windows OS, prior to Win2K and OS X.

The older OSs (both Windows and Mac) only supported cooperative multitasking, while the new ones, in theory, support premeptive multi-tasking.

Once Filemaker Pro is rewritten with these new OS (heck maybe FMP 6 is OK) it should be able to take advantage of the new multi-tasking capabilities of the new OSs.

[Anatoli]

IMHO it has to do much with Mac version. I know for sure, that the really only Windows application developed and not ported is Window server.

I am 99% positive, that the Windows FM client is port, because it doesn't follow Windows standards very closely (in the similar way as is guilty Adobe GoLive).

FILEMAKER HAD MADE CLAIM THAT IT IS WINDOWS NT OR W2000 PRODUCT, SO IT SHOULD BEHAVE AS SUCH.

There is no known case of exception. No application should occupy 100% of CPU for even shortest period of time.

And user will not see the 95 or 100% CPU cycles difference anyway.

To wait for Task Manager longer, than 1-2 seconds is sign of 2 possible scenarios:

1. Some Application crashed

2. FM is running full throttle.

Oh well, that will be again just rant and those nice FMI guys will pay no attention to this, even if we are going to cry, Steven (from Vegas) and myself in front of their Corporate Doors.