[X-Unix] Application 'launch-cache'...

[Kuestner, Bjoern]

>>> is there such thing as a type of cache (within the os / system) memory
>>> that could be increased so that a large application that is 
>>> continually being launched successively would load faster?
>>
>> Yes, I believe that this has been built into OS X since Jaguar, but I 
>> don't know any way for the user to influence it.
>
>I think Jerry is referring to the pre-build scheme. Which is the same 
>thing only different. It just eliminates the dynamic linking phase and 
>goes back to the old stand-by of statically linked programs. It doesn't 
>load the program into any kind of cache.

OS X also does actual caching. Run any of the available applications to fix
your prebindings and you should see a speedup at launch if the app was not
prebound already.

Then start the app. Quit the app. Start it again and it should load
significantly faster. The effect is quite noticeable on my iBook for many
apps. Then if I don't use the app for a while starting it again takes just
as long because it's not in the cache anymore.

OS X uses all available RAM for caching all sorts of things including
application launches. That's what also confuses people at times when they
have 1 GB of memory installed and run a memory monitor. After a while RAM
will fill up to around 90% depending on their work. So they think they have
a memory leak or some app hogging RAM. But it's just OS X for instance
keeping stuff in RAM although it's not used anymore just in case the user
decides otherwise and does use it again. If there's a better way to use the
RAM for something else OS X will overwrite it. 

>> and the rendering software takes as long to launch as it does to
>> actually do it's task...
>
> Why not leave the rendering app running?

He can't. I don't believe Xgrid works that way.

What about putting a smaller "agent application" inbetween. The agent is
started and quit by Xgrid and then connects to a continously running "worker
thread" on the machine.

Just a thought,

Björn




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