Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Some webhosts market gcc as a feature?!

[thinkliberty]

How/Why do some webhosts market GCC as a webhosting feature?

I would hate to be on the shared server where someone else is compiling stuff.

[extras]

Using C/C++, you can write a very efficient/small/fast CGI program, and there are still some people who prefer to use them rather than heavy/buggy/vulnerable PHP.
(And the host should be glad because they would be using less resources.)

Usually, we can simply compile at home and upload ready to run binary, but sometime it's more convenient to compile on the server.
And some tools do reuire gcc, too.

But it's not really a feature since Linux/BSD come with gcc and many other utilities.
(Some hosts remove/disable/restrict them, though.)

Why do you hate it?

[thinkliberty]

gcc sucks up alot of memory and CPU resources. Using it on a shared server this is a bad thing for everyone else on that server.

Originally Posted by extras

Using C/C++, you can write a very efficient/small/fast CGI program, and there are still some people who prefer to use them rather than heavy/buggy/vulnerable PHP.
(And the host should be glad because they would be using less resources.)

Usually, we can simply compile at home and upload ready to run binary, but sometime it's more convenient to compile on the server.
And some tools do reuire gcc, too.

But it's not really a feature since Linux/BSD come with gcc and many other utilities.
(Some hosts remove/disable/restrict them, though.)

Why do you hate it?

[layer0]

Originally Posted by thinkliberty

gcc sucks up alot of memory and CPU resources. Using it on a shared server this is a bad thing for everyone else on that server.

Not really.

PHP Code:

[root@layer2 ~]# uptime
## starting load
 10:32:47 up 14 days,  9:55,  2 users,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00
## used gcc in another shell session and took the load again:
[root@layer2 ~]# uptime
 10:32:59 up 14 days,  9:55,  2 users,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 


[thinkliberty]

What were you compiling?

int main(int argc, char ** args)
{
return 0;
}

does not count

Originally Posted by layer0

Not really.

PHP Code:

[root@layer2 ~]# uptime
## starting load
 10:32:47 up 14 days,  9:55,  2 users,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00
## used gcc in another shell session and took the load again:
[root@layer2 ~]# uptime
 10:32:59 up 14 days,  9:55,  2 users,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 


[extras]

Originally Posted by thinkliberty

gcc sucks up alot of memory and CPU resources. Using it on a shared server this is a bad thing for everyone else on that server.

It depends on the size of program.
And when the server isn't loaded, nobody would really notice even if you compile a little big thing.
It's not necessarily heavier than active forum traffic.

In short, ANY program including seemingly inoffensive formmail can abuse CPU/Memory depending on the situation.
It's not what you use, but how it is used/accessed.

It's true that gcc can be abused.
But again, so as any program/script.

So, you don't need to worry about gcc.
I think it's more common to see popular PHP apps abused/cracked and causing lots of problem to everyone on the server.
At least that's what I observed last several years.
Thus I tend to blame PHP well before gcc or other things.

[David]

Originally Posted by thinkliberty

How/Why do some webhosts market GCC as a webhosting feature?

I would hate to be on the shared server where someone else is compiling stuff.

Can't be any worse than someone running vBulletin or any number of items.
All in all: If a host wants to offer gcc let them do it!

If you don't think it's good then don't sign up with them.