Brain Fuck Scheduler

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The Brain Fuck Scheduler (BFS) is a process scheduler designed for the Linux kernel in August 2009 based on earliest eligible virtual deadline first scheduling (EEVDF),^[2] as an alternative to the Completely Fair Scheduler (CFS) and the O(1) scheduler.^[3] BFS was created by Con Kolivas.^[4]

The objective of BFS, compared to other schedulers, is to provide a scheduler with a simpler algorithm, that does not require adjustment of heuristics or tuning parameters to tailor performance to a specific type of computational workload. Kolivas asserted that these tunable parameters were difficult for the average user to understand, especially in terms of interactions of multiple parameters with each other, and claimed that the use of such tuning parameters could often result in improved performance in a specific targeted type of computation, at the cost of worse performance in the general case.^[4] BFS has been reported to improve responsiveness on Linux desktop computers with fewer than 16 cores.^[5]

Shortly following its introduction, the new scheduler made headlines within the Linux community, appearing on Slashdot, with reviews in Linux Magazine and Linux Pro Magazine.^[3][6][7] Although there have been varied reviews of improved performance and responsiveness, Con Kolivas did not intend for BFS to be integrated into the mainline kernel.^[4]