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Date:      Wed, 03 Sep 2003 12:58:33 -0400
From:      Chuck Swiger <cswiger@mac.com>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: .ko files in /boot/kernel
Message-ID:  <3F561DB9.7050201@mac.com>
In-Reply-To: <200309031707.21584.malcolm.kay@internode.on.net>
References:  <3F55680A.2070007@princeton.edu> <200309031707.21584.malcolm.kay@internode.on.net>

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Malcolm Kay wrote:
[ ... ]
> But; how much memory do you have? Your kernel is about 2Mb smaller 
> than the one I'm using but the difference represents about 0.4% of my total
> memory which I suspect is almost always incompletely used.
> 
> Could I ever see [any] effective difference with an "optimised kernel"?

Yes, although the difference is likely to not be noticable for most tasks.

However, saving memory is sort of like reducing the amount that a bicycle 
weighs.  A difference of a few hundred grams won't be noticable most of the time 
compared with ~50 kg of the rider+bike, but for some trips-- particularly over 
the long hau;-- every little bit helps.

There's more to the analogy: reducing the size of the kernel is more useful than 
  saving memory elsewhere in much the same way that reducing the weight of 
bicycle tires counts more than reducing the weight of the frame.  Reducing tire 
weight affects not just total mass but the amount of rotational interia as well. 
  Reducing the size of the kernel rather than some random userland process (like 
/bin/sh) reduces the amount of wired down memory and saves KVA.

-- 
-Chuck




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