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From: lron@easy.UUCP (Dwight Hubbard)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: '030 Ami vs '040 NeXT
Message-ID: <185aa00f.ARN07c9@easy.UUCP>
Date: 13 Dec 90 00:53:19 GMT
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In article <16492@cbmvax.commodore.com>, Martin Hunt writes:

[Previous stuff deleted]
> >> -virtual memory support (I know that it's coming)
> >
> >I hope not, I can just see the disk swaping making AmigaDos useless for
> >Multimedia.  I still think it would be better to make AmigaDos apps run
> >under Unix, then the VM support becomes a moot point.  Either that or
> >an option to turn it off.
> >
> You can't have a real-time OS without control over exactly what data
> can be in VM.  Same with programs swapping out.

Correct, I'm basically have this point of view because I've yet to see
an OS with VM that could offer the kind of performance needed for mulitmedia
without running on hardware costing more than a new car.  Besides which
even if the multimedia program was not allowed to swap.  Unless it keeps
it's data in memory or there are multiple hard drives wouldn't the swaping
kill the disk access speed to get the images and sounds a multimedia
application is going to need.

> And running AmigaDOS apps under Unix would kill the real-time response

Yes, but the question is would VM kill the real time response of AmigaDos
if it was added?
Real time response is not important for applications like Desktop
Publishing, CAD, Word Processing, ect... and programs like PageStream
really could use VM.  Also, it would give Amiga Unix users working
software to run until the developers get around to porting the stuff
over for Unix specifically.

> of AmigaDOS and force everyone to buy 100+ Meg harddrives to do anything
> useful.

Finally, if VM were added to the Amiga a 40Meg hard drive is going to be
real small (40 megs isn't enough now) if 5 or 10 megs is set aside for
swap space.
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-Dwight Hubbard,                      |-Kaneohe, HI      -
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