Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!amdahl!pacbell!att!ttrdc!ttrde!ttrdf!fjo
From: fjo@ttrdf.UUCP (Frank Owen )
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Virtual memory init
Message-ID: <828@ttrdf.UUCP>
Date: 18 Jan 89 18:43:37 GMT
References: <40e7a0d1.a590@mag.engin.umich.edu>
Organization: AT&T, Skokie, IL
Lines: 33

in article <40e7a0d1.a590@mag.engin.umich.edu>, jfm@ruddles.sprl.umich.edu.engin.umich.edu (John F. Mansfield) says:
> 
>>creates an 8mb swapfile on disk, far cheaper that an 8mb DRAM upgrade.
> 
> It sounds great, but it also said that if you have the PMMU, which I
> have, then the software alone would be something like $250.  Also in
> the article it said the init was something like 10K, isnt this rather
> a lot for such a small piece of software or am I missing something?


   Yes, this does seem like a lot for such a small piece of software,
but I think their objective is to make as much money as possible
before their product becomes obsolete. This WILL occur in the not
too distant future due to one or more of the following:
     a) REAL memory will eventually come down in price, making the
	swapper less desirable from a cost (and speed) standpoint.
     b) Someone else will figure out how to write a similiar INIT.
	(I think there are probably some listeners on the net capable
	of doing this.) And will provide it as shareware/freeware/cheaperware
     c) Apple may build this into a future version of system software.
	If the RAM prices do not go down, they will probably be forced
	to do this to accomodate increasingly memory-hungry system
	enhancements.

    
 As of right now, the only other product that gives the same functionality
is RAM upgrades, so that's what they will compete against from a price
standpoint.
-- 
Frank Owen (fjo@ttrdf)  312-982-2182
AT&T Bell Laboratories 
5555 Touhy Ave., Skokie, IL  60077
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