I wanna know:
Why does Windows’ Task Manager list the size of the “System Idle Process” as nonzero? Also, why is it different, on different computers? My desktop apparently takes 16K of memory to do absolutely nothing, while my laptop (memory hog that it apparently is) takes 28K to do just as much nothing-per-second.
Now, I know 16K or 28K is a drop in the bucket these days — my laptop has 2GB of memory and my desktop has 3GB* — but honestly, why should doing nothing be anything more than a line or two of assembly?
* Yeah, 3GB. Not only does the 32-bit version of WinXP not always play nicely with 4GB of memory, but Core i7 processors have three memory pipelines, rather than the more understandable two or four. (Maybe Intel decided they liked Google’s “Don’t be evil” and decided to go with “Don’t be normal” or something. I dunno.) At any rate, Core i7s like their memory in threes. Go figure.
That's the 28k that holds the operating system. Windows is just the most amazing piece of flawless ultra-compact code ever – so much so, no one would ever believe that was it. The other 4GB of crap is the elaborate AI that destabalizes your system at the least opportune moments to keep you distracted from the main show.