Re^2: write hash to disk after memory limit

the sad truth is, one day wasted on writing, testing and debugging clever code costs far more than a 16 GB stick these days.

True. But only if the hardware is capable of accommodating it.

Now the choice is to upgrade the motherboard to one that can accommodate the "extra stick"; but that usually means also upgrading the CPU because later motherboards that can handle more memory have different, later cpu sockets. So now we're looking at anything from 3 to 10 times the price.

But, does the version of the OS we're using support that new hardware? Does it have drivers available for everything? Does the new hardware still support the legacy ports and drivers need for the other processes that run on the same box?

Is the, now required, OS upgrade covered by the current license? Is it approved by your company/organisation? What are the costs involved in that upgrade? How many other processes will need to be compatibility tested with it? How long will the integration/testing/approval process take and how much will it cost?

What if this process is run concurrently on a cluster -- 16 to 32 machines -- or a farm -- 100s or 1000s of machines. How much does that "extra stick" cost now?

So, sod the upgrade, farm it out to AWS. Fine, but what are the security and legal implications of doing so? Is the data in whole or in part identifiable as customer data? Can a European company legally transmit customer data to US (sited or controlled) servers? How much will the test case in the European Court of Human Rights cost?

Or; maybe we could just do some bit-twiddling^TM and compress the data representation some, and avoid the whole issue. At least until we get a ECoHR hearing date.

With the rise and rise of 'Social' network sites: 'Computers are making people easier to use everyday'

Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.

"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority". I'm with torvalds on this

In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice. Agile (and TDD) debunked

Comment on Re^2: write hash to disk after memory limit

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Re^3: write hash to disk after memory limit by FloydATC (Deacon) on Mar 14, 2015 at 07:09 UTC
I agree, sometimes it's not as easy as simply throwing a stick of memory at the problem. I'm just saying it's usually worth considering before you start reinventing fundamental parts of the operating system. Sometimes, even a forklift upgrade of the entire data center can be the most sensible thing to do. -- FloydATC Time flies when you don't know what you're doing	[reply]