[LUGSB] Kernel related question

[Siddhartha Basu]

Hi,
I have seen couple of terms which generally come up during kernel 
compilation, specially when i am working with 2.6 series. For instance,

*Kernel Preemption : What it is supposed to do? I have the idea that is 
supposed to geared towards desktop performance. So, if you have a kernel 
with this enabled in a machine which is working as a server, does it 
degrade the performance. How much is it needed for overall desktop 
performance.


* Interactivity: I see it more often comes up during any kernel related 
discussion. What exactly does it mean? Does it mean to improve desktop 
performace, does it hurt the performance of a server.


-sidd