Bug#664813: Please use the ondemand cpufreq governor by default (CONFIG_CPU_FREQ_DEFAULT_GOV_ONDEMAND)

[Ben Hutchings <ben@decadent.org.uk>]

On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 05:14:37PM -0700, Josh Triplett wrote:
> Source: linux-2.6
> Severity: wishlist
> 
> Current versions of the Linux kernel will load most appropriate cpufreq
> modules automatically (using the new autoloading aliases based on x86
> CPU models and features).

Sadly that's only in 3.4 and depends on the removal of sysdevs in 3.3.
So we probably won't get it in wheezy.

> Defaulting to ondemand would make cpufreq
> automatically work on any systems with cpufreq support, without the need
> for userspace enablement packages like cpufrequtils in the common case.
>
> cpufrequtils already defaults to ondemand without prompting, so this
> wouldn't change the effective default.  Anyone desiring one of the other
> cpufreq governors can easily install cpufrequtils and configure that
> governor.  Meanwhile, this change would make frequency scaling Just Work
> on most systems.
 
cpufrequtils should (currently) be installed by default on systems
that support frequency scaling and particularly on laptops.  If it's
not then that seems to be a bug in the installer or task definitions.

However I agree that if we should aim to set a reasonable default
without yet another init script and device matching in userland.

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings
We get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking.
                                                              - Albert Camus