Editing BogoMips (section)

== History ==
In 1993, Lars Wirzenius posted a [[Usenet]] message<ref>{{cite web|last=Wirzenius|first=Lars|title=Re: printing & BogoMips|url=https://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux/browse_thread/thread/589fc4eaa432f8b6/ea0df3ceaa8f129a?hl=fr&q=MIPS+is+short+for+Millions+of+Instructions#ea0df3ceaa8f129a}}</ref> explaining the reasons for its introduction in the Linux kernel on comp.os.linux:

: [...]

: MIPS is short for Millions of Instructions Per Second. It is a measure for the computation speed of a processor. Like most such measures, it is more often abused than used properly (it is very difficult to justly compare MIPS for different kinds of computers).

: BogoMips are [[Linus Torvalds|Linus]]'s own invention. The linux kernel version 0.99.11 (dated 11 July 1993) needed a timing loop (the time is too short and/or needs to be too exact for a non-busy-loop method of waiting), which must be calibrated to the processor speed of the machine. Hence, the kernel measures at boot time how fast a certain kind of busy loop runs on a computer. "Bogo" comes from "bogus", i.e, something which is a fake. Hence, the BogoMips value gives some indication of the processor speed, but it is way too unscientific to be called anything but BogoMips.

: The reasons (there are two) it is printed during boot-up is that a) it is slightly useful for debugging and for checking that the computer[’]s caches and [[turbo button]] work, and b) Linus loves to chuckle when he sees confused people on the news.

: [...]