[PATCH] sync kills system interactive response

This is almost certainly not positrons problem - but I'm filnig it here for two
reasons:
(1) i don't know who's problem it is, and 
(2) I suspect others will encounter it - perhaps this can be the place where we
figure it out.

I'm typing this while positron is in the process of syncing about 200 files to
the neuros.  My system (a 2x1Ghz PIII system with 512M RAM) is stuttering.  A
top shows no process consuming more than 15% cpu time - but the load average is
4 and the machine is hurting.  I'm running the latest RedHat 9 eratta kernel.