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Idea #11205: Processes description column for System Monitor

Written by Eldmannen the 16 Jul 08 at 20:34. Category: Others. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: New
Rationale
Add a 'Description' column to the GNOME System Monitor.

GNOME System Monitor lists processes, and the processes can sometimes have cryptic filenames which the user does not understand what the process is for. So I suggest to create an 'Description' column to explain the process.

The user sees "gdm", "atd", "cron", "trackerd", "nm-applet", "sh", and get confused because he don't know what it is.

He look in the Description column and sees that "gdm" is "GNOME Display Manager", "sh" is "shell", and "nm-applet" is "network-management applet", etc.

Because when a user checks the running processes and sees "gvfsd" he have no idea what it is, with this Description column, he can easily see that it is the "GNOME virtual file system daemon".

* http://www.mistywindow.com/blog-images/software/windows/task-manager.png
* http://attachments.techguy.org/attachments/131192d1209566643/windows-task-manag er.png

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Solution #1: Auto-generated solution of idea #11205
Written by Eldmannen the 16 Jul 08 at 20:34.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #11205 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

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tgape wrote on the 17 Jul 08 at 03:09
While the idea is nice, the amount of effort involved in fully realizing it is enormous.

+1, but only if it's implemented such that it gracefully handles processes with no identified 'Description'.

Also, it would be nice if it performed some security checks, such that it describes 'gdm' as "GNOME Display Manager" only if it's the 'gdm' that /var/lib/dpkg/info/gdm.list (or whatever the appropriate name is) indicates is installed. (I'm only suggesting a path check because an md5/sha check would be far too expensive, and this isn't the place for a full security check. Verifying the path should not be too consuming, and would help reveal user-installed trojans.

cheesehead (Brainstorm admin) wrote on the 18 Jul 08 at 01:07
Yeah, it's hard. So what?

Damn good idea. More useful for non-geeks.

+1

ilektron wrote on the 18 Jul 08 at 08:03
+1 for this one, even though it would be a boon for the 'ctrl-alt-del bringing up system-monitor' people.

Auzy wrote on the 18 Jul 08 at 08:18
Actually, its not that hard really (should be easy). so +1

olmec wrote on the 10 Dec 08 at 09:48
This seems like a good idea. Doesn't have to be a column even by an option on the right click context menu to learn more about the 'properties' of the process.

Would help noobies like myself get a better understanding for what processes are responsible for what...

+1

olmec wrote on the 10 Dec 08 at 09:48
This seems like a good idea. Doesn't have to be a column even by an option on the right click context menu to learn more about the 'properties' of the process.

Would help noobies like myself get a better understanding for what processes are responsible for what...

+1


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