Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!rochester!pt!spice.cs.cmu.edu!mjp
From: mjp@spice.cs.cmu.edu (Michael Portuesi)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Wishlist for 1.3 Executive.
Message-ID: <1248@spice.cs.cmu.edu>
Date: Wed, 29-Jul-87 05:09:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: spice.1248
Posted: Wed Jul 29 05:09:41 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 31-Jul-87 01:34:18 EDT
Reply-To: mjp@spice.cs.cmu.edu (Michael Portuesi)
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 37

Keywords:


scotty@l5comp.UUCP (Scott Turner) writes:

> Yeah, well I've always thought that a "developer kickstart" disk would be
> real nice to have. It would have more robust error checking and the big
> Wack built in! It could also have all your memory toggles as well.

> What I want is a BLOCKER. This blocker would block any FURTHER allocation
> from certain ram types/ranges etc. This is different from the current
> schemes where the extra ram is disabled/dismounted by some means. What I
> want is something that lets me boot up normally, load the ol' ram disk etc
> then say "OK, no further allocating ram from FAST type ram". But anything
> already in FAST ram could still be used and deallocated at whim. This way I
> could use my extra ram to hold tools and leave me with a "virgin" CHIP ram
> to test the program out in.

But the problem with these ideas is that it creates an environment
that is *not the same* as the one Joe User will be using.  Problems
could occur in the "developers" configuration that do not show in the
"user" configuration, and vice-versa.  It's much like cross-developing
on a Sun or switching from compiler X, which has very fast compilation
to compiler Y, which is slow but highly optimizing, at the completion
of program development.  Subtle errors can sneak in which get past QA
and meet Joe User, whose environment is not the same.  Aegis has
already run into this problem with Diga!, and list a whole bunch of
changes to make the environment of the distributed product match that
of the developer's enviroment.  The more you distance yourself from
the vanilla environment, the more you are asking for trouble.

				--M
-- 

Mike Portuesi / Carnegie-Mellon University Computer Science Department
ARPA:	mjp@spice.cs.cmu.edu	UUCP: {backbone-site}!spice.cs.cmu.edu!mjp
BITNET:	rainwalker@drycas (a uVax-1 run by CMU Computer Club...tons o' fun)

"Paradise is exactly like where you are right now...only much, much better"
			--Laurie Anderson, "Lanugage is a Virus"