OESF Portables Forum

General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: edwinbradford on August 07, 2004, 05:42:57 am

Title: Building a ROM
Post by: edwinbradford on August 07, 2004, 05:42:57 am

First of all thanks to everyone, especially StuBear, for all the help gettng me up and running with my C700. It's been great fun and I now have it looking just how I want.

I'd like to ask about the way Zaurii handle memory, from reading the FAQ http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php...lding%20a%20ROM (http://www.zaurususergroup.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=phpWiki&file=index&pagename=Building%20a%20ROM) am I right in saying that if you reduce the number of unwanted applications by building a custom ROM, it will free up more memory which can be used as RAM (so it becomes a RAM upgrade)? If so it's something I'd like to try. Am I also right in saying that the only requirement on my Apple Mac is to be running the Terminal?

Thanks again.

Title: Building a ROM
Post by: Mickeyl on August 07, 2004, 07:50:15 am

There's no sane way you could use unused Flash as RAM.

Title: Building a ROM
Post by: lardman on August 07, 2004, 10:54:18 am

As Mickeyl says you don't want to do this. RAM is accessed rather a lot, and flash memory has a finite (if long) life. Also flash memory is orders of magnitude slower than RAM.

That said, it might be possible to create a swap file in the unused bit of flashROM. But don't do it, not a good idea.

What do you need more memory for anyway?


Si

Title: Building a ROM
Post by: edwinbradford on August 07, 2004, 12:29:08 pm

OK guys thanks. I must have misunderstood that then. I was reading it that freeing up Memory  with a smaller ROM meant more RAM. Obviously that's not the case with a PC but I thought maybe it was different on the Zaurus. It seems to me that you're saying you could only use the freed up space as a swap file and I've read that's a bad idea on the internal memory.

The basic reason for the memory increase, thanks for asking, is that I found that when I had the tkc ROM installed which I understand is a minimal system, I seemed to be able to open several programmes but with the Sharp ROM (which I am retaining for it's Japanese Language ability) I seem to run out of RAM memory sometimes with only two applications open.

Title: Building a ROM
Post by: lardman on August 07, 2004, 01:48:36 pm

With a 5500 or 5000D the standard Sharp ROMs use half of the RAM as a RAM-disk, and so in this case changing ROMs (to a non-Sharp ROM) will give you more RAM. This is not the case for the 5600 and C machines.

This could be where the confusion arose.


Si

Title: Building a ROM
Post by: edwinbradford on August 07, 2004, 07:29:18 pm

Ahaaa, thanks Lardman, makes me feel less like a clown and also as everyone says, I'd be wasting my time then to make a ROM.