Posts tagged linux

Load averages are at once hugely simple and hideously complex. Understading what these numbers mean is important for correctly applying this simple indicator of system health.

First, a load average is not CPU percentage. That is simply a snapshot of how often a process was found being executed on the CPU. The load average differs in that it includes all demand for CPU, not just what is currently running.

This essay was originally written in Portuguese, and subsequently translated to English. I rewrote the English version so it reads like an anglophone wrote it.

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I understand that some people have problems switching from Windows to linux. Since all my friends keep telling me how great Windows is, I thought I’d try an experiment.