Re: Ranting about JVM's default memory limits...

From:
Mark Space <markspace@sbc.global.net>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.programmer
Date:
Sat, 02 Aug 2008 12:29:07 -0700
Message-ID:
<iA2lk.17998$89.11406@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com>
Arne Vajh?j wrote:

Actually I like the "you have to specify a limit and if you exceed that
then you have a problem because apparantly you do not know what your
program are doing" philosophy.


I can manage it fine on my own machine, but it really seems like it
would be a huge problem to manage on any kind of decently sized
installed base.

I just can't figure out how I would manage some Java Web Start app that
I wrote, for example, other than to greatly inconvenience the user and
make them do it.

But:
- it is unusual compared to anything else which makes it a problem


Which makes users complain. And defeats the purpose of having an OS
with memory management if I have to manage it myself anyway. What
happens when someone installs more memory? I have to set the limit
higher on each app to take advantage of it? Agh! Why?

(That's a rhetorical "why?" I know you don't make policy for Sun.)

- the current default is from a previous decade


My point is the whole idea of a fixed limit is, like, 3 decades old.
Hello, 1978 called, and they want their (lack of) memory management back.

I guess I could live with 256m or 512m as default.


I'd like to see Sun implement some sort of adaptive algorithm that
increased the max heap in response to GC pressure, and was able to
reduce the max heap (return memory to the OS) if the GC was able to free
a larger percentage of memory in any pass.

Anyhoo, again thanks for letting me vent....

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