Re: DTrace-like analysis possible with future Linux kernels?

Julien Oster
2004-08-21T12:12:20Z

Tomasz Kłoczko <kloczek@rudy.mif.pg.gda.pl> writes:

Hello Tomasz,

> Probably you did try use DTrace even less than 5 minutes :->

No, I didn't. I clearly referred to that article, not to dtrace itself.

> PS. Very interesting commens about this thread is on Bryan Cantrill
> (DTrace developer) blog:
> http://blogs.sun.com/roller/page/bmc/20040820#dtrace_on_lkml
> Bryan blog is also yet another Dtrace knowledge source ..

Oh, yeah, great. A whole blog entry dedicated to me. Now I am a moron,
absolutely clueless and I am "looking to confirm preconceived notions
rather than understand new technology".

Sorry, but that goes a little too far. No, I didn't try out dtrace
and, right after reading the article (and that's the important thing!)
I didn't seek for further information about it, I'm not a Solaris
System Administrator right now (I was, some years ago). And all I was
saying is that this *article* was just ridiculous.

Please read this paragraph of my response to it again:

| Maybe, without that article, I would recognize it as a fine thing
| (and by "fine" I don't mean "the best thing since sliced bread"),
| but that piece of text was just too ridiculous to take anything
| serious.

That should make it obvious, shouldn't it? I would have written the
same thing If I read a similar article about, for example, vmware, UML
or valgrind - and I really think those are really great inventions.

But in that article, I was just missing the objectiveness. A quick
note about the fact that Sun's been introducing dtrace for Solaris 10
and what it is, what it does, would have been much better instead of
talking about a "Cantrill explosion", how "DTrace has completely
changed the way I do business" (actual quotes).

Florian and Alan told me in a quick and objective manner why dtrace is
a good thing, and I am glad for that information. I never stated that
DTrace was a bad thing. I repeat it again - if I had any use for it,
and I maybe have in future - it looks like I would consider DTrace a
very nice thing to have. From the (non-insulting) replys I got, I
understood that DTrace actually is one.

Bryan Cantrill, I can understand that you have to defend DTrace. But
please, PLEASE stop saying that I am a clueless moron if I wasn't even
ranting about you, ranting about DTrace, but just about *that single
article* and it's presentation of DTrace to me.

And then all those comments about Linux users and developers being
very defensive about DTrace... heck, can't I even critisize the
quality of an ARTICLE without being accused of being a Linux maniac
which fights against Solaris? I am using Solaris myself. Some years
ago, I was a System Administrator for - guess what - Solaris
machines. The last thing I want to step into is a religious war
between Solaris and Linux. Does that mean I am not allowed to express
my opinion about the public press anymore?

I read about dtrace now, I think it's a good invention. If at any
place at any time we two would meet I maybe would say to you "Bryan, I
like DTrace very much". If I was to administer Solaris systems right
now, I would probably even say: "Bryan, DTrace has helped me a
lot". But I would STILL say that that article was CRAP, because that
is just what that article is from my point of view.

Now, I really don't know how to make this any more clear.

Julien