Why does hexchat/smuxi/etc use so much CPU when receiving many
messages?
reddit / irc

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[deleted] · 2015-06-18 16:05

I have hexchat running on a server on the twitch irc doing nothing but
logging chat of 4 channels. I have the scrollback buffer set to 50
however during peak hours cpu usage in task manager says "02" to "04",
sometimes up to 10. Is there any way to alleviate some of this usage?

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TingPing · 2015-06-18 18:44

Well firstly 4% is not "so much CPU". That said speaking for HexChat
only, most of the CPU usage is just drawing the text, so if you are
running this just for logging your best option is to not use a GUI but
rather use a simple bot.

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[deleted] · 2015-06-18 18:59

[deleted]

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TingPing · 2015-06-18 19:01

Twitch just uses PASS with an oauth key still right? I'm sure *every*
bot supports that.

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HenkPoley · 2015-06-19 11:28

Well, 4% on a current CPU would mean it would use 100% of a CPU made
around 2000. IRC is 80s technology. So something odd happened along
the line.

Apparently named [Parkinsons Law](http://www.softpanorama.org/Bookshel
f/Classic/parkinson_law.shtml).

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Insire · 2015-06-19 12:54

since i'm writing a [bot](https://github.com/Insire/InsireBot), which
connects to twitch, i can say you are wrong

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[deleted] · 2015-06-19 12:58

[deleted]

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Insire · 2015-06-19 13:01

i wonder on which fact(s) you base your opinion on

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TingPing · 2015-06-19 14:18

> Well, 4% on a current CPU would mean it would use 100% of a CPU made
around 2000. IRC is 80s technology. So something odd happened along
the line.

Well XChat is from the early 2000s and the technology it uses has not
largely changed so I feel that's not remotely true.

That said there are some other variables and twitch really is a worst
case situation since its one of the few networks with many thousands
of users.