Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!gwyn@brl-vld From: gwyn@brl-vld@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: Ram disks Message-ID: <3931@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Sat, 13-Aug-83 00:21:41 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.3931 Posted: Sat Aug 13 00:21:41 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 8-Aug-83 01:22:36 EDT Lines: 17 From: Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) I think your point about disk files not being a natural programming construct, and the suggestion about a replacement concept, are both good ideas. Disks DO have one advantage over RAM, although not from the programming language viewpoint, and that is that their cost per bit is much lower. I think we will always have multi-level storage schemes because of the economic considerations. It WOULD be nice if programs didn't unnecessarily have a particular partitioning built into them. I would like to see the specification of time criticality taken a step farther, and specify the maximum (average and/or worst-case) time permissible for function execution (or maybe just data access). I don't see a good way of implementing this, but it would be useful for true real-time systems.