Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!munnari.oz.au!uokmax!apple!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!mts.rpi.edu!Garance_Drosehn
From: Garance_Drosehn@mts.rpi.edu (Garance Drosehn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Why VM? (was Re: New Macintosh Strategy)
Message-ID: <=V8%9Z$@rpi.edu>
Date: 30 Oct 90 23:14:41 GMT
Distribution: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst.
Lines: 28
References:<1990Oct30.075308.15261@world.std.com> <1990Oct30.093218.12931@d.cs.okstate.edu>

Most people who will be buying a low-cost mac do not need VM.  If they 
can't afford a few more megabytes of memory at $40 a megabyte, then they 
aren't likely to be able to afford the extra cost of a 68030 or a PMMU, 
plus the cost of the larger hard disk that is needed.  Besides, I'd rather 
use RAM (with no moving parts) then increase the wear and tear on my hard
drive.

If *everyone* so desperately needs VM, how is it that the vast majority of 
all Macs sold right now are not also buying Virtual?  How many Macs are 
bought each month?  How many copies of Virtual?  What is happening to 
everyone that isn't buying Virtual?  Are they hopelessly mired down?  At
the moment I only have 4 Meg on my machines, and I don't find myself 
having to quit applications to start up new ones (unless I'm firing up
MPW and SADE).  In 8 Meg I'd be sitting pretty.

People have been proclaiming how important VM on the Mac will be, and they 
have been saying that for years.  For some people, that is true.  For me, 
I'd rather have 8 meg of RAM and save the wear and tear on my hard drive.  
I suspect there are a lot of other users out there like me, who will do 
just fine without VM, at least for a few more years.

Now, to save up to buy that CD-ROM drive.  And a new hard disk (I have
only 3 meg free on my current one).  And 4 more meg or RAM (which costs 
less than a PMMU, I believe).  And, well, the list goes on...

Garance_Drosehn@mts.rpi.edu
ITS Systems Programmer
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY.  USA