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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.questions:8018 comp.windows.x.i386unix:6602 Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions,comp.windows.x.i386unix Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!yeshua.marcam.com!news.kei.com!eff!news.umbc.edu!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!howland.reston.ans.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!hasty From: hasty@netcom.com (Amancio Hasty Jr) Subject: Re: If you were to assemble a new machine... Message-ID: <hastyCJrM2F.Eut@netcom.com> Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: <J6y7Fc1w165w@oasys.pc.my> <2h9d9d$ddl@homer.cs.mcgill.ca> <2h9o0e$fu1@news.cs.tulane.edu> Date: Mon, 17 Jan 1994 08:25:26 GMT Lines: 32 In article <2h9o0e$fu1@news.cs.tulane.edu> cajho@uno.edu writes: > > >> one thing that just about everybody forgets is that ide drives >> are -not- dma devices. thus, while transferring data, your >> machine can do nothing else. i had two ide drives >> on my system, and whenever i was doing a heavy compile [xfree ;-)], >> my machine would immediately become jerky. as soon as i switched >> to scsi, everything is as smooth as can be... > >Yup. I run a Linux system w/SCSI, and was startled to see a friend's >IDE system not echo my keystrokes immediately during compiles, etc. Yuk! > >IDE is to SCSI as MS-DOS is to Linux, think of it that way.<g> >(IDE=yucky backwards-compatibility kluge) Some IDE disk drives are capable of DMA -- from what I understand it is an option -- Worth investigating if you are stuck with IDE drives and want to do DMA. Incidently, at work I have IDE drives and 20MB of main memory, I can compile stuff and keep on using X. Hope this helps, Amancio -- FREE unix, gcc, tcp/ip, X, open-look, interviews, tcl/tk, MIME, midi, sound at freebsd.cdrom.com:/pub/FreeBSD Amancio Hasty, Consultant | Home: (415) 495-3046 | e-mail hasty@netcom.com | ftp-site depository of all my work: ahasty@cisco.com | sunvis.rtpnc.epa.gov:/pub/386bsd/X