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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!jfc
From: jfc@athena.mit.edu (John F Carr)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Implications of large memory systems
Message-ID: <10164@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Date: 28 Mar 89 23:06:48 GMT
References: <28819@bu-cs.BU.EDU> <13433@steinmetz.ge.com>
Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU
Reply-To: jfc@athena.mit.edu (John F Carr)
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lines: 33

In article <13433@steinmetz.ge.com> davidsen@crdos1.UUCP (bill davidsen) writes:

>If the machine is a
>workstation rather than being used for timesharing (many schools try to
>put 32 users on an 8MB Sun), the total memory in use is probably 4-12MB.
>Do most users need that in a workstation? 

Yes.  At the moment, I am using about 27 Meg of virtual memory split between
two workstations (4M & 6M RAM; 16 M swap).  Processes:

   Saber C (a C interpreter running under X):   ~7   M
   Emacs + subprocesses                          2.5 M
   2 large computational programs                2   M
   4 pairs of (xterm+csh)                        1.1 M
   X Server                                       .7 M
   rrn+Pnews                                      .5 M
   random small utilities, subshells

   (plus kernel & system processes)

That is the static load; I also run compilers, the program I am working on,
read mail, write files, etc...  

I find I can't fit all the programs I want to run into 16MB.  I _don't_
have access to a large, fast machine for computation.  Instead, I use X
windows to run two workstations from a single display, and accept that
overhead. 

--
   John Carr             "When they turn the pages of history,
   jfc@Athena.mit.edu     When these days have passed long ago,
   bloom-beacon!          Will they read of us with sadness
   athena.mit.edu!jfc     For the seeds that we let grow?"  --Neil Peart