computer science

Sysinfo

Sysinfo is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sysinfo rather than just read about it. In short: Sysinfo is a shareware program written completely in Assembler for the Motorola 68k equipped Amiga computers to benchmark system performance. Sysinfo shows which version of system software is present in ROM, which hardware is present, and which operating mode the hardware uses.

Key takeaways

Sysinfo belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sysinfo to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sysinfo from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sysinfo is a shareware program written completely in Assembler for the Motorola 68k equipped Amiga computers to benchmark system performance. Sysinfo shows which version of system software is present in ROM, which hardware is present, and which operating mode the hardware uses.

Sample output SYSINFO V3.22 An Amiga System Information Program Written in Assembler Nic Wilson Brisbane Australia. nic AT nicwilson dot com SYSTEM SOFTWARE INSTALLED LIBRARIES INTERNAL HARDWARE MODES kickstart (512K) $00F80000 V37.350 Clock CLOCK NOT FOUND utility CHIP RAM $00000554 V37.3 DMA/Gfx ECS AGNUS - 2Meg graphics CHIP RAM $00002A68 V37.41 Mode NTSC:Hires keymap CHIP RAM $00006D68 V37.2 Display ECS DENISE layers CHIP RAM $000081D8 V37.9 CPU/MHz 68000 7.16 intuition CHIP RAM $00009984 V37.331 FPU NONE dos CHIP RAM $00011498 V37.45 MMU N/A VBR N/A SPEED COMPARISONS Comment What can I say! Dhrystones 519 You X Horiz KHz 15.72 A600 68000 7MHz 0.98 X EClock Hz 715909 B2000 68000 7MHz 0.74 X Ramsey rev N/A ICache N/A A1200 EC020 14MHz 0.42 XX Gary rev N/A DCache N/A A2500 68020 14MHz 0.25 XXX Card Slot YES IBurst N/A A3000 68030 25MHz 0.11 XXXXX Vert Hz 60 DBurst N/A A4000 68040 25MHz 0.02 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Supply Hz 60 CBack N/A CPU Mips 0.54 FPU MFlops N/A QUIT MEMORY BOARDS ICACHE IBURST CBACK Chip Speed vs A600 1.00 DRIVES SPEED PRINT DCACHE DBURST ALL [1] SYSINFO V4.0 An Amiga System Information Program Written in Assembler Contact address SysInfo@d0.se web page http://sysinfo.d0.se SYSTEM SOFTWARE INSTALLED LIBRARIES INTERNAL HARDWARE MODES kickstart (512K) $00F80000 V37.175 Clock CLOCK FOUND utility CHIP RAM $000007CC V37.3 DMA/Gfx STD AGNUS - 512K graphics CHIP RAM $00004258 V37.35 Mode PAL keymap CHIP RAM $00008548 V37.2 Display STD DENISE layers CHIP RAM $000099B8 V37.7 CPU/MHz 68000 7.09 intuition CHIP RAM $00009E5C V37.318 FPU NONE dos CHIP RAM $00012470 V37.44 MMU N/A VBR N/A SPEED COMPARISONS Comment What can I say! Dhrystones 539 You X Horiz KHz 15.60 A600 68000 7MHz 1.00 X EClock Hz 709379 B2000 68000 7MHz 0.77 X Ramsey rev N/A ICache N/A A1200 EC020 14MHz 0.44 XX Gary rev N/A DCache N/A A2500 68020 14MHz 0.26 XXX Card Slot NO IBurst N/A A3000 68030 25MHz 0.11 XXXXX Vert Hz 50 DBurst N/A A4000 68040 25MHz 0.02 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Supply Hz 50 CBack N/A Mips 0.56 MFlops N/A QUIT MEMORY BOARDS ICACHE IBURST CBACK Chip Speed vs A600 1.03 DRIVES SPEED PRINT DCACHE DBURST ALL [2]

Version history 1990-08-04 v1.4 1990-12-17 v1.94 1991-01-12 v1.98 1991-11-19 v2.51 1991-12-11 v2.53 1991-12-31 v2.56 1991-06-21 v2.22 1991-10-25 v2.40 1992-03-10 v2.60 1992-03-21 v2.62 1992-04-12 v2.69 1992-09-01 v3.01 1993-01-14 v3.11 1993-03-27 v3.18 1993-11-07 v3.24 2012-11-07 v4.0 2019-07-13 v4.2 2019-09-27 v4.3 2020-11-11 v4.4

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sysinfo

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sysinfo claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sysinfo before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sysinfo ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sysinfo

In research: Sysinfo appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sysinfo in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sysinfo is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Amiga software, Benchmarks (computing), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sysinfo outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sysinfo in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sysinfo means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sysinfo out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sysinfo in simple terms?

Why does Sysinfo matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sysinfo?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sysinfo.