Fraxer

This is the FINAL LIST of programs to be submitted to K Ramesh Sir. (Disclaimer : I've no idea whether he asked it just as a record of the list of programs done by our batch or it is actually supposed to be used for the end lab. I've made no such claims whatsoever at any point of time).

1. Command Line Interpreter

2. Chat Server using FIFOs and parent-child processes

3. Chat Server using FIFOs and threads

4. Chat Server using message queues and parent-child processes

5. Chat Server using message queues and threads

6-33. Classic synchronization problems
* Producer-consumer
* Reader-writer with reader preference
* Reader-writer with writer preference
* Reader-writer with equal preference
* Sleeping barber
* Cigarette smokers
* Dining philosophers

using
* Semaphores
* Monitor as a different process
* Generic monitor
* Thread mutex

34. Sleeping barbers with multiple barbers using signals

35. Resource sharing between two different processes

36. I/O multiplexing using poll() and/or select()

37. Simulation of scheduling algorithms using different processes and calculation of waiting time and turnaround time
* FCFS (First come first serve)
* SJF (Shortest job first)
* SRTF (Shortest remaining time first)
* PS (Priority scheduling)
* RR (Round robin)

38. The above program (No. 33) using threads

39. Simulation of a deadlock monitor (should include safe sequence generator and resource request algorithm) using different processes

40. The above program (No. 35) using threads

41. Process log for n processes communicating using message queues

42. Simulation of page replacement algorithms
* LRU (Least recently used)
* MRU (Most recently used)
* Op (Optimization)
* LFU (Least frequently used)
* MFU (Most frequently used)

43. Simple file locking involving the shared read and the exclusive write locks

44. Simple user-defined thread library with functions for initialization, starting the threads, making a thread go to the end of the process queue (called yielding) and stopping a thread
* using clone()
* using context switch
* using setjmp and longjmp

45. Implementation of semaphores (user defined semaphores) and its applications

46. Clock device driver

47. Implementation of Pfiles

48. Adding a user-defined system call (echo2 as mentioned in class)

49. Alternate servers

50. Monitoring multiple servers and multiple clients using a handler process with the help of message queues

So recently, the linux craze has been catching many, including me. Even right now, I'm on Ubuntu 9.04. The main reason being the long booting time for windows – not to mention the time for the start-up services to load. Yet I feel, maybe since I'm used to working on windows for around 10 years, something is missing in linux – I guess I can even say some things “are “ missing.

Nautilus
The file explorer seems too primitive to me. We are so much used to the comfort of windows explorer. And I couldn't fins a proper replacement. XFE was sort of okay (it resembled windows explorer somewhat), but it didn't have NTFS support.

Video Codecs
If I try playing RMVB files with low bitrate on VLC, it keep stopping every now and then. So I use totem for that one. Makes me miss Media Player Classic, which played every video file perfectly.

Task Manager
Ubuntu doesn't have a task manager, though I suppose Mandriva does. And if an application stops functioning (many believe it never happens in linux, but trust me - linux ain't so fool proof either), there are times I just move it to another workspace, coz there's nothing left to do. Of course, if you have a “Force Quit” button on hand, it's useful.

Download Manager
Even after SK Downloader, Wget, Gwget, Tucan, etc etc, I feel the lack of a proper non java-based download manager, which supports multi-threaded downloads – something like IDM in short. If anyone knows of any such application, do lemme know.

Unclean Shutdown
Every time you don't shutdown the system properly, you'll have to go through the pain of disk-checking and sometimes, running the fsck command to correct the inode errors. I wish it would auto-correct all the time and stop asking my permission for correcting each and every error.


Yet, I'll stick to Ubuntu coz in spite of this this, it's way faster than windows. And it has it's own advantages. I've high hopes pinned on Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic Koala – maybe it can make me forget windows once and for all.

So with the new hostel in place and another one coming up in due course of time, the authorities really seemed to be concerned about its maintenance. And they did take up some steps – yet life isn't actually comfortable...

I wonder how many homes have Jaguar taps, lets alone hostels. Yet, we have 'em – Jaguar taps each costing a grand, maybe even more. But the bottom line still remains the same – who's bothered about the quality of the tap when you have no water coming through them. It seemed that watre was coming 24 by 7 for a few days. And ironically, water stopped coming the next morning after these “exquisite” fittings were installed. Yet another case of “so near, yet so far”.

And everyday, we have guys coming in with brooms, vacuum cleaners et all knocking on our doors, asking if we want our rooms to be cleaned. I still remember having a tough time trying to get the room cleaned in 7th block. So this definitely is an improvement. However, I really find no need for it – most of the students, since it's a single room, keep their room clean by themselves. But it'll help those who are really too lazy to even sweep their own room.

Even then, these authorities who are so concerned about the maintenance of the rooms in which we live, turn a blind eye towards the quality of food we are supposed to eat. I say “supposed to eat” coz many don't eat in the food court, including me.


So all-in-all, I feel they're trying to provide accomodation to mechanised robots of sorts, who need no water and food to survive – just a well-maintained to room. And unfortunately, we ended up in that place...

So here's my vijaydashmi gift to my classmates - for their unity in deciding to bunk the OS mid-lab. The third question in the list - process scheduler using signals and context switching. This is not for the studs of the class who can or plan to do it on their own. This is for the rest - those who can't do it or don't wanna do it. I won't say it's perfect - but it worked fine for me. If ya find any faults, please leave a comment. And if ya like this post, a thanks would do.


Download here

So now once again, our internet is being monitored (well, it has always been, but now, even more so). The situation is not as bad as the catastrophic day last week. Yet it’s appalling.

In order to look more professional, they have created an error page this time with two major error messages :
• Weighted phrase limit exceeded.
• Banned extension: .exe

Now I really don’t know what the first one means – I suppose they are banning sites which many people visit and which they feel do not fall into the category they call educational sites. The second one is obvious – so now we are prohibited from even downloading new softwares, updating our antivirus et al.

If it was some service they are offering free of cost. No would’ve really bothered. But they take thousands of bucks from us in the name of internet fees and now this. When colleges like IITs don’t bother regulating the internet connections given to their students, I wonder why NITW is trying so badly to establish its authority over its students. If some regulation was really needed, they can register the mac addresses of each computer so that they can monitor each student personally and take specific actions in case someone acts unethically. But no – instead they block the net given to all students just coz of one odd nutter in the college.

I hope someone can knock some sense into this orthodox sect of people. They need to understand that the more they try to stop someone from doing something, the more they’re instigating them to do that very thing. I think Harry Potter fans might remember Hermione’s words from the Order of the Phoenix when Umbridge banned Quibbler in Hogwarts, “If she could have done one thing to make absolutely sure that every single person in this school will read your interview, it was banning it!”

The human brain acts funnily – they better understand that before they start to overdo things, which they feel are long overdue (I like the combination of overdo and overdue – sounds nice nay)! What they’re trying to do is not wrong, but how they’re trying to do is. I guess they better do a viability check before implementing their plans of action – or else it would be a repeat of last week’s fiasco.

If it happens I guess might quote Bernard M. Baruch, “Whatever failures I have known, whatever errors I have committed, whatever follies I have witnessed in private and public life have been the consequence of action without thought.”

Or even Mary Beard, “Study without action is futile. Action without study is fatal.”