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From: james@uw-june (James Synge)
Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga
Subject: Re: File Handler's, Memory Solutions (swish)
Message-ID: <727@uw-june>
Date: Sat, 3-May-86 22:03:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: uw-june.727
Posted: Sat May  3 22:03:07 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 6-May-86 06:08:55 EDT
References: <8604301613.AA07782@cory> <1069@amiga.amiga.UUCP>
Organization: U of Washington Computer Science
Lines: 25

In article <1069@amiga.amiga.UUCP>, bruceb@amiga.UUCP (Bruce Barrett) writes:
> In article <8604301613.AA07782@cory> dillon@CORY.BERKELEY.EDU (Matt Dillon) writes:
> > [...]
> >	Most importantly, the system should return 'Fails' to user processes 
> >which request memory when there is less than, say, 10% memory left (that way,
> >the system isn't likely to run out of memory at a critical time)
> >
> >				-Matt
> :-) What a great idea! (-:  ...except that "the system" doesn't know if it is
> the user or "the system" requesting the memory.  Thank you but I don't
> think ignoring 891,289 bytes of RAM on a 8.5 meg machine is useful.  The
> system, although not perfect does its best (so far) to exit from low
> memory conditions gracefully.  For example windows stop moving and sizing.
> We are working to mak this even better and more robust.
> --Bruce Barrett
Agreed! We can't expect the system to successfully implement a policy we can
not really figure out the details of ourselves: which programs are "system"
and which are "user"? And when is the system asking for memory because of
an action a user program asked for.

Our programs must be VERY careful not to hog resources when they aren't
really needed, and must check the returned results. To do otherwise is
foolish and not very portable (like to a next generation machine).

-- James M Synge