[ Thanks to Kelly
McNeill for this link. ]
“Recently I have been reading up on the architecture of Linux
and Windows NT. This is partly to make myself a better
Penguinista(1) and also to find out why Windows NT Sucks. I was
struck by a statement, which went along these lines: Hard disk
storage is used because memory is expensive. The main function of
the operating system is to channel data from one to the other and
control the way each one stores data.”
“What if you could build a machine that had unlimited
memory? Well, you wouldn’t need virtual memory, a virtual file
system or any kind of file system. The kernel would need drivers
only for I/O devices. It wouldn’t need memory management. Linux
would be ideal for this because it is modular and infinitely
configurable. Linux developers can chop off bits and add bits so
fast it makes your head spin.”
“By “unlimited memory” I mean, of course, the network. Now that
Gigabit hardware is here, it will be only a couple of years before
the Internet is as fast as a PCI bus. Megamiles of optical fibers
will have to be laid, but there will be a very strong financial
incentive. I believe it will happen surprisingly quickly. The
explosive growth of cable modems and DSL is an indication of things
to come.”