Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!stevec From: stevec@Apple.COM (Steve Christensen) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer Subject: Re: Why do application partitions exist? Message-ID: <48914@apple.Apple.COM> Date: 7 Feb 91 02:28:16 GMT References: <1991Feb5.182501.4325@wam.umd.edu> <48874@apple.Apple.COM> <1991Feb6.135730.4792@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA Lines: 41 dorner@pequod.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Dorner) writes: >stevec@Apple.COM (Steve Christensen) writes: >>While you do occasionally need to tweak the partition size, it's usually set >>correctly for most applications, and if it's not, a quick change in the Finder >>will fix it permanently... > >How much memory do you have in your mac, Steve? 8 meg? More? It's easy >to "fix applications permanently" when you have a lot of RAM to play with. >It is a much bigger problem for all those people with 1M and 2.5M machines. >(I see this from both sides, having one Mac at 8M and one at 2M.) Well, I do have 8 meg in my $10K IIfx (quite nice, BTW), and 2 meg in a lowly 68000 Mac. I wasn't trying to sound insensitive--just explaining things as I understand them. >If *I* were going to revise the mac's memory management model (and the tooth >fairy were doing the programming), I'd want: > >1. Protection >2. Dynamic partition sizing (with perhaps min and max limits) >3. Virtual memory > >In that order, too. > >Dynamic partition sizing would help all those people with 68000 macs, for >whom VM is useless, and who are the most likely to be tight on memory >anyway. (4M of memory is $200; that's a sizeable chunk of change compared >to a $900 Classic, but is hardly worth noticing on a $10000 fx.) Dynamic partition sizing is a nice idea, but what happens to an app when memory it thought it had (perhaps checked once at launch time to see if it could run at all?) suddenly disappears because another app needed it? If the min and max you mentioned are fixed at launch time, don't we already have that (at least the min part) in the Get Info window? steve -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Steve Christensen | Apple Computer, Inc. | Disclaimer: | 20525 Mariani Ave, MS-81CS | the above may be stevec@apple.com | Cupertino, CA 95014 | a lie...or not.