Linux S5R2 App 4.27 available for Beta test

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Bernd Machenschalk
Bernd Machenschalk
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16 Jul 2007 9:53:49 UTC
Topic 13566
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    A Linux App (4.27) is available from our Beta Test page.

    This App is part of a new generation of Apps that follow our attempts to track down and fix the remaining problems of the new software we're using since S5R2 (There will soon be a MacOS PPC App once I've fixed a CPU-specific problem there).

    This may remain an intermediate release that will never make it to become official Apps if we get enough feedback from running the Beta Test Apps that we can fix some more problems for the next "official" Apps.

    Following a suggestion from Gary these Beta test packages feature an app_info.xml that should allow for continuing a Task that has been assigned to and possibly partially crunched with an older App version with this Beta App (keeping the old App version number, though). Note that there are some clients with which this doesn't work as desired, i.e. that reset the project when switching the platform (I've seen this behavior with the first Universal (PPC+Intel) MacOS Clients). So this Beta Test also covers this app_info.xml scheme. If in doubt, wait at least until the currently running Task has finished, report it manually and install the Beta App then.

    gcc-compiled Apps such as the ones from MacOS and Linux apparently get a little speedup from using ftol() instead of modf() (which we originally did to fix problems of the Windows App), but this release is not primarily meant to improve speed. We'll work on this not before we have the validation problems found solved.

    Please test&report here.

    BM

    BM

    Bernd Machenschalk
    Bernd Machenschalk
    Joined: 15 Oct 04
    Posts: 2,684
    Credit: 25,950,161
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    Linux S5R2 App 4.27 available for Beta test

    19 Jul 2007 12:13:46 UTC
    Message 3186
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      I inserted some sanity checks at one place to track an access violation Client Error. On my machines the App didn't run noticeably slower. Leads me to wonder how representative the workunits are we currently use for testing.

      Please continue to advise people suffering from Client errors (especially on Windows) to still try this Beta App. It should help to track the problem down.

      I'll see what I can do about the speed then.

      BM

      BM

      Bernd Machenschalk
      Bernd Machenschalk
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      Thanks for the input.

      19 Jul 2007 12:51:11 UTC
      Message 3187
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        Thanks for the input. Switching back to modf() is actually the easiest thing to do.

        We're currently fixing some more x-platform differences (not in speed, but in result). After that we should be in the position to try the SIN/COS routine Akos and I implemented a while ago in larger scale - it won't be using any of modf(), ftol() or whatever.

        BM

        BM

        Bernd Machenschalk
        Bernd Machenschalk
        Joined: 15 Oct 04
        Posts: 2,684
        Credit: 25,950,161
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        RE: It seems that gcc

        20 Jul 2007 15:15:14 UTC
        Message 3188
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          Quote:
          It seems that gcc generates inline code for the "(INT8) x" truncation that makes heavy use of the dreaded "fldcw" instruction, stalling the pipeline and hurting performance quite badly. Going back to modf for gcc only could be an option, or using rounding instead of truncation here and then dealing with negative result of x - ROUND(x) separately. Something like that.


          Plaese try 4.31.

          BM

          BM

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