>[ snip ]
>You just described the swapping used by OS/2 and NeXTSTEP. No doubt
>others use the same technique.
>It is slower than a fixed swap partition on a raw device. Some people
>still prefer it.
>It will not solve the ``problem'' with overcommit.
No, but allocating a swap space which has the ability to dynamically change size can alleviate a lot of problems.
I believe that the ideal way is to have a swap partition for the main use which is of moderate size, and also have a dynamic swap file which can expand when it is needed in extreme situations.
Russell Coker