Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!elroy!gryphon!jdow
From: jdow@gryphon.COM (J. Dow)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: 1.4 Wishlist (practical)
Keywords: 1.4, copy
Message-ID: <14536@gryphon.COM>
Date: 10 Apr 89 19:46:12 GMT
References: <1758@aucs.UUCP>
Reply-To: jdow@gryphon.COM (J. Dow)
Organization: Wizardess Designs, Hermosa Beach, Ca.
Lines: 37

I have a rather simple request that may not be possible to implement at this
time due to hardware limitations. (But I sure would appreciate a best guess
approach...)

I am running some fairly large to humongous harddisks here at the Wizardess'
Abode. The bitmaps take substantial amounts of ram. A disk with 700megabytes
of available storage takes some 341k for just the bitmap alone. If I add some
buffers to handle one cylinder worth of data I eat another 407k of storage.
It has occurred to me that two such monsters and I have eaten almost all my
2megabytes of 32 bit ram. It also occurs to me that RAM: eats the rest rather
quickly.

PLEASE alter the behavior of the filesystem and the ram handler so that they
store from the TOP end of ram address space down. RAM: can go ANYWHERE at all
in the memory map (with a preference to avoid CHIP or course.) THe disk bitmaps
and buffers want to be in DMAable FAST ram with a preference for the top of
the range specified by the "MASK = " parameter.

This will preserve my VERY precious 32 bit FAST ram space for use by live
programs instead of inconsequential matters (for speed purposes) such as
disk buffers and bitmaps. It will have a secondary salutary effect of making
it substantially LESS likely that the bitmap storage will get creamed by 
runaway programs. (And on a 300 meg drive partition this is no inconsequential
event, trust me!)


-- 
Sometimes a bird in the hand leaves a sticky deposit.
Perhaps it were best it remain there in the bush with the other one.

{@_@}
	jdow@bix (where else?)		Sometimes the dragon wins. Sometimes
	jdow@gryphon.CTS.COM		the knight. Does the fair maiden ever
	{backbone}!gryphon!jdow		win? Surely both the knight and dragon
					stink. Maybe the maiden should suicide?
					Better yet - she should get an Amiga and
					quit playing with dragons and knights.