Re: [PATCH RT 00/02] SLOB optimizations

[Ingo Molnar <mingo@elte.hu>]

* Steven Rostedt <rostedt@goodmis.org> wrote:

> [...] Today's slab system is starting to become like the IDE where 
> nobody, but a select few sado-masochis, dare to venture in. (I've CC'd 
> them ;) [...]

while it could possibly be cleaned up a bit, it's one of the 
best-optimized subsystems Linux has. Most of the "unnecessary 
complexity" in SLAB is related to a performance or a debugging feature.  
Many times i have looked at the SLAB code in a disassembler, right next 
to profile output from some hot workload, and have concluded: 'I couldnt 
do this any better even with hand-coded assembly'.

SLAB-bashing has become somewhat fashionable, but i really challenge 
everyone to improve the SLAB code first (to make it more modular, easier 
to read, etc.), before suggesting replacements.

the SLOB is nice because it gives us a simple option at the other end of 
the complexity spectrum. The SLOB should remain there. (but it certainly 
makes sense to make it faster, within certain limits, so i'm not 
opposing your SLOB patches per se.)

	Ingo