Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!easy!lron From: lron@easy.HIAM (Dwight Hubbard) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.tech Subject: Re: Files larger than available memory. Message-ID: Date: 5 Oct 90 21:10:03 GMT References: <924@ucsvc.ucs.unimelb.edu.au> <1990Sep24.101616.20657@psuecl.bitnet> <14893@cbmvax.commodore.com> Lines: 59 >In article <14893@cbmvax.commodore.com> valentin@cbmvax.commodore.com (Valentin Pepelea) writes: >In article <1990Sep24.101616.20657@psuecl.bitnet> d6b@psuecl.bitnet writes: >> >> The largest file I've ever dealt with was 1.4 megabytes, and I thought that >> was pretty big. It fits nicely in my 3 megabytes. So, it's not clear that >> having some sort of VM built into an editor is terribly important. Whether or >> not having VM in the OS is desirable is another matter. I don't need it >> myself, but I suppose there are those that do (who are you??) > >Good point. There are many people who do not realize the usefullness of >virtual memory for the Amiga. They say, 'Hey, I've got 4MB and that's plenty >anough for me'. Quite a simplistic approach. But the fact of the matter is, >we all need virtual meemory - right now. Very true, but even if that 1.4 Megabyte file fits into your 3 Megabytes of memory what do you do if you have some other tasks started? It doesn't take to many tasks to fill up memory, I mention this because I have tried to edit files that are larger than 2 megabytes on a 3 megabyte machine which works fine if I close everything down. >Would you like to have GCC, the GNU C compiler running on your Amiga? Well, >you better stock up on memory chips - or get virtual memory. And you'd like >too see Mathematica running on your Amiga? It won't work without oodles of >memory. How about a digitizer that catures a 1024x1024x24 image, for you >to manipulae later on. How do you store that picture without virtual memory? > >So we might be tempted to sit back in our chair and claim that we don't need >virtual memory, because no applications have been written that require it. >Well, you'll never see those application if we don't ship virtual memory >first. Exactly, but wouldn't it be better to work on getting AmigaDos applications to run under the new version of Unix. It does have virtual memory and has been mentioned before virtual memory and real time performance just don't go together on a 68000. So, the 68020/68030 owners could run Amiga Dos apps under Unix and have virtual memory and 68000 owners would still be able to run them but without virtual memory. At the very least it would seem to me that adding virtual memory to the OS would make it more reliable since those poorly written applications that hang when they run out of memory wouldn't run out of memory. >Now getting back to your example, how can I edit a 500 page book, if I don't >have virtual memory, and the editor does not have a built-in VM manager? I'd >be forced to devide the book in section, and keep guessing at what page each >chapter starts. And what a nightmare to create an index! > >Valentin >-- >The Goddess of democracy? "The tyrants Name: Valentin Pepelea >may destroy a statue, but they cannot Phone: (215) 431-9327 >kill a god." UseNet: cbmvax!valentin@uunet.uu.net > - Ancient Chinese Proverb Claimer: I not Commodore spokesman be -- -Dwight Hubbard, |-Kaneohe, HI -USENET: uunet!easy!lron |-Genie: D.Hubbard1 lron@easy.hiam |-GT-Power: 029/004