long-swap-vs-noswap-threads++

not true. If you're running The Gimp or another raster image editor, don't expect a 1:1 ratio for ram to bytes of an uncompressed image. You're not taking layers and undo buffers into account, nor are you taking masks, adjustment layers, and filter processing into account either.

Additionally, word processors can eat a lot of RAM - an amount seemingly disproportionate to file size. Try opening a 50-page document (e.g., software documentation with screenshots) and export that to PDF - you will be hitting swap.

Large amounts of RAM is not required only for typesetting and 3D rendering. For casual web browsing you'll be fine with 512MB and no swap, but for heavy multitasking, compiling software (KDE, OOo, the kernel), debugging software, running a db or web server, and other tasks (not related to graphics or 3D btw) you'll want swap, even if you think at first you won"t be hitting it.

Yes, I was oversimplifying the graphic example. My point was that anyone needing extremely large or complex (multi-layer/with masks) images is likely to be aware of the memory requirements, and have enough RAM and swap.

Note that I did recommend using swap, just because there's no good reason not to, at least in terms of "wasted" hard drive space.

But I also know that I do all of the things you mentioned on a daily basis. The most I've ever done at once is probably something like: 4-5 terminals, compiling/installing software, GIMP with a few images, browser with several tabs, and GVim. Not a major RAM requirement for some of those, but I also regularly do 3D modelling with moderately complex scenes, and often have GIMP with high-res images at the same time (and sometimes a browser window so I can surf while something renders). I have 512MB RAM and 512MB swap. I've almost never had more than marginal (a dozen MB) swap usage, and it rarely even happens that my RAM fills up (I monitor it).

The only time in recent memory (no pun intended) that I have thrashed and filled out the swap file was when I tried to use GIMP's font-rendering plugin to render an image with samples of all 600+ fonts I have installed. This, in retrospect, was a really dumb idea in the first place

I think this is still "on-thread".

I built a Linux box with Fedora3 and only 160Meg of memory. Really, just to see if I could live with it. Cutting a (very) long story short, I have. Anyway, I let the F3 install select the size of the swap file (seem to recall it being about RamX2). Anyway, I have since upped the memory to 352Meg. So, is it possible to increase the size of the swap file without doing a re-install? My Fedora bible gives no indication.

You could try it using a live-Linux-distro that has parted,
or you can just add more swap via the swapFILE method
shown above - Linux can have several swap-devices/
files, not just one.


Cheers,
Tink