> >I agree it might be nice on those el-cheapo 300 MHz,
> >32 MB + EIDE Quantum Bigfoot garbage boxes, but I
> >really don't feel like optimizing the system to match
> >the insanity the people putting together that system
> >must have been in...
>
> I don't know. I have five computers on a network at home, and 4
> of them only have 32 MB of RAM. (The other has LOTS.) Most of the
> time, for most things, 32 MB is OK.
Agreed. But I think you misunderstood the intent of my
idea :)
32 MB with 2 $50 SCSI disks is in good balance with a
486 processor (the I/O and memory are big and fast enough
to keep the CPU busy and the other way around).
The computer shop around the corner sells the newest
processors that are available with 32 MB of RAM and
the crappiest IDE disk available.
It's simply not possible to get any decent performance
out of a box like that -- people like your dad would be
much better served with a P200MMX (very much cheaper
than a P-II) and proper memory and disk equipment...
> The cost-maximization phenomenon of thrashing also acts as a
> regressive tax on people who can't afford cutting-edge hardware.
I put together a nice machine for $300 this weekend. It is
all undestructible second-hand stuff. A good 15" monitor
($100) and $200 spent on a nice&silent server box with a
486/66 and 2 SCSI disks of 540 MB each. I will install the
CD-ROM later today (when I get the brackets) and the network
will probably laid out this week too...
This machine starts the GIMP faster than _any_ of those
el-cheapo 300MHz boxes I've ever seen!
> These days you can get a 300 MHz processor for about US$100,
With a mainboard that costs $150. If you go for the cheaper
Socket-7 stuff you can get 64MB and still have money left.
> and the cost of bunches of RAM really *does* matter at that price
> point. People should be able to buy a $500 monitor once every
> 10 years, and a new $400 computer every two or three years. Computers
> shouldn't be expensive like houses and cars, if we can avoid that.
We can avoid it. Buy a balanced system.
And while you mention cars: would you buy a VW Beetle with a
V12 engine? Probably not because it would tear the chassis
apart when you hit the gas...
Yet thousands of people do this every day -- at their local
computer shop!
I hope this cleared up my point of view a bit :)
cheers,
Rik -- the flu hits, the flu hits, the flu hits -- MORE
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Linux memory management tour guide. H.H.vanRiel@phys.uu.nl |
| Scouting Vries cubscout leader. http://www.phys.uu.nl/~riel/ |
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