# Load Average Applet

Copyright © 2000 by Telsa Gywnne and Eric Baudais

# The load average applet

The `loadavg_applet` is a small monitor applet which sits in your panel and tells you the current load average.

The load average of a machine is a rather arbitrary number which represents how "busy" your machine is. It is calculated as an average of (very roughly) how many processes there are which are either running or are waiting for a wake-up call from the kernel. It is very useful for comparing over time with different load averages on your machine, but it is not very useful to compare it with other machines. Normally, it is represented as a fraction.

Figure 1. Load Average Applet

## Usage

You don't need to do anything to this applet. It will sit and run in your panel. Various options to alter its display are available.

## Right-Click Pop-Up Menu Items

In addition to the standard menu items, the right-click pop-up menu has the following items:

Default Properties...

  This opens the `multiload_applet dialogue box` described below which allows you to alter the default properties of this and related monitor applets.

Properties...

  This opens the `multiload_applet dialogue box` described below which affects only the `loadavg_applet` properties.

Run gtop...

  This option will run the gtop which starts up the GNOME System Monitor. `gtop` gives a much more detailed look at your system and what's happening on it.

## Properties

Figure 2. Default Properties Dialog

Like several of the monitor applets, `loadavg_applet` has two ways of setting preferences. You can make changes that affect any of this group of applets, (`cpuload_applet`, `memload_applet`, `swapload_applet`, `netload_applet` and `loadavg_applet`) in one large dialogue box. This is useful if you run one or more of them. These are the settings used by default. They are reached from the Default Properties... menu item.

Figure 3. Greyed Out Properties Dialog

Or you can change just the properties for `loadavg_applet`. This is useful for when you only use `loadavg_applet` or want to try new combinations out. It is reached from the Properties menu item.

| If you use the Properties... menu item and edit the preferences for just this applet, you must uncheck the Use default properties checkbox before you can alter any settings.

Figure 4. Load Average Properties Dialog

The changes you can make to the properties are four:

Colours

  You can alter the colours used for the applet's display clicking on the colour boxes. This invokes the GNOME colour wheel. The titles are a little misleading. "Used" is the current load average, and "free" is the background colour.

Speed

  You can alter the speed that the graph proceeds with this. It is measured in milliseconds. The default is 500.

Size

  You can alter the size of the applet with this. It is measured in pixels. The default value is 40, and the range is from 1 pixel to whatever you like. In a vertical panel, this refers to the height. In a horizontal panel, it refers to the width.

Maximum

  This is the maximum number in the Y axis (the possible maximum load average which the applet will show). The default is 10.

  | This option is only available from the Default Properties menu option. It does not appear on the dialogue box which is started by the Properties menu option.

## Known Bugs and Limitations

Resizing and then altering the panel orientation can still cause intermittent problems, although they now fix themselves after a short period.

## Authors

This applet was writen by Martin Baulig (`<martin@home-of-linux.org>`). Please send all comments, suggestions, and bug reports to the GNOME bug tracking database. (Instructions for submitting bug reports can be found on-line. If you are using GNOME 1.1 or later, you can also use `Bug Report Tool` (bug-buddy), available in the Utilities submenu of Main Menu, for submitting bug reports.

This manual was written by Telsa Gwynne (`<telsa@linuxchix.org>`) and Eric Baudais (`<baudais@okstate.edu>`). Please send all comments and suggestions regarding this manual to the GNOME Documentation Project by sending an email to `<docs@gnome.org>`. You can also submit comments online by using the GNOME Documentation Status Table.

## License

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

A copy of the GNU General Public License is included as an appendix to the GNOME Users Guide. You may also obtain a copy of the GNU General Public License from the Free Software Foundation by visiting their Web site or by writing to

Free Software Foundation, Inc.
59 Temple Place - Suite 330
Boston, MA 02111-1307
USA