chittamu@dino.cs.umass.edu (Satish Chittamuru) (05/27/90)
These days I find a lot of software takes up enormous amounts of memory. Most
applications on our workstations generally require about 1 to 2MB. And OS
require from 4 to 6MB. X itselfs takes another 3 to 4MB. Even some PC
software these days require more than 640 KB and have to use extended or
expanded memory.
I know memory is cheap, but wouldn't it be better to write smaller programs?
I mean, why do all these programs require such enormous amounts of memory.
Load time, swap time, memory and disk requirements are all increased. I
understand that the functionality is greater, but does the increased
functionality justify such an increase in size? Do you folks have any
opinions, suggestions, ideas about this? I would be very interested in
hearing about it from other people.
--
-Satish K. Chittamuru
chittamu@cs.umass.edu Software Development Lab.
chittamu@umass.bitnet Dept. of Computer & Info. Sciences
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01002
===
God is real, unless cast to an integer.murphyn@motcid.UUCP (Neal P. Murphy) (06/05/90)
chittamu@dino.cs.umass.edu (Satish Chittamuru) writes:
: These days I find a lot of software takes up enormous amounts of memory. Most
: applications on our workstations generally require about 1 to 2MB. And OS
: require from 4 to 6MB. X itselfs takes another 3 to 4MB. Even some PC
: software these days require more than 640 KB and have to use extended or
: expanded memory.
: I know memory is cheap, but wouldn't it be better to write smaller programs?
: ...
You may find that the "user-friendliness" of well-written software is directly
proportional to its size. I.e., to write a well-written program *and* keep it
small, something has to go. Usually it's the user interface that suffers. One can't
very well throw out any of the logic code, and error-detection-and-correction-or-
handling code must remain in place if the program is to remain well-written. Thus,
the user-interface goes out the window, along with its copious amounts of textual
error/informational messages.
I much prefer to write a program as small as it can be made, while keeping it
as user-friendly and correct as possible. It certainly won't be a minimum
size, but it should be a minimal size.
NPN