Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!ames!lll-winken!uunet!ficc!peter
From: peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: spawning a child by double forking
Message-ID: <4871@ficc.uu.net>
Date: 3 Jul 89 21:45:13 GMT
References: <12376@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Organization: Xenix Support, FICC
Lines: 14

In article <12376@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>, jik@athena.mit.edu (Jonathan I. Kamens) writes:
>   Second, let's say that my program has a 512k binary image.  I fork
> the first time, and I'm taking up a meg of memory.  I fork again, and
> I'm taking up a meg and a half.

Not if you have a modern fork() that does copy-on-write. And even if you
have a stupid fork you probably have vfork(). The cost of forking
children is really pretty minor these days. (yow, an innovation that
actually REDUCES memory use! Must be a mistake!)
-- 
Peter da Silva, Xenix Support, Ferranti International Controls Corporation.
Business: peter@ficc.uu.net, +1 713 274 5180. | "X3J11 is not in the business
Personal: peter@sugar.hackercorp.com.         |  of legislating morality ..."
Quote: Have you hugged your wolf today? `-_-' |      -- Henry Spencer