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From: bb@wjh12.UUCP (brent e byer)
Newsgroups: net.bugs.2bsd,net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: ramdisk driver for 2.9 (General GRIPE!)
Message-ID: <658@wjh12.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 29-Nov-85 13:13:49 EST
Article-I.D.: wjh12.658
Posted: Fri Nov 29 13:13:49 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Dec-85 03:21:56 EST
References: <195@motel6.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Psychology & Social Relations Dept, Harvard U., Camb. MA
Lines: 27
Xref: watmath net.bugs.2bsd:318 net.unix-wizards:15923

The ramdisk driver described worked by allocating its space
at BOOT time which makes it easy to implement but much less
useful than one which could do so dynamically, say, at XXXopen()
time.

Consider:  You very well may need all the RAM you've got during
	prime time, but when the `cheese' are away and just you &
	I are there to play, we should not have to re-boot just
	to get that silicon amphet.  Also, there may come a time
	during normals' hours when something MUST finish more
	quickly.

To Kernel-Hacks:  With price of ram plummeting, all of you should
	cobble up something of this sort for your next release.
	Your sales hacks may be able to sell more add-on memory
	(iff they stop being so damn greedy with the price$ !!!),
	[ and, we nightfolk may actually see our processes finish
	  before dawn. ]

PS:	All programs which need /tmp-type space should check for
	an ENV variable to allow better use of this new feature.
PPS:	When you do the allocation, PLS take it off the top; yes,
	shuffle if you need to.

Thanks,
  Brent Byer  {decvax!genrad  harvard}!wjh12!bb
		ihnp4!ihesa!textware!brent