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>Why do laptop manufacturers insist on being stuck in 2005? why does running apps these days require 16GB because developers insist on using as much RAM as pos

by PeCaN 8y ago

>Why do laptop manufacturers insist on being stuck in 2005? why does running apps these days require 16GB because developers insist on using as much RAM as possible

sambull 8y ago
Abstraction
Erlich_Bachman 8y ago
Because RAM is cheap, and human developer/testing time is expensive.
- shakna 8y ago
  RAM is only cheap if your consumer can actually run your product. As manufacturer's have decided 4GB is good enough for most people... Maybe the developer is the problem.
  - craftyguy 8y ago
    > As manufacturer's have decided 4GB is good enough for most people "640K of memory should be enough for anybody."
    - shakna 8y ago
      "RAMs cheap, everyone should have more than enough." Platitudes are cheap. Ignoring the real world, and allowing cheap excuses for either developers or manufacturers isn't acceptable. With 640K, a lot of developers built decent software. They didn't decide that the manufacturer was wrong and so their software would simply be a resource hog, as that was easier for their developers. But they also asked for more too.
      - skyride 8y ago
        With 640K of memory, developers were building basic productivity tools with simple CLI interfaces and little or no extensibility.
        shakna 8y ago
        Sid Meier's Civilization ran in 640k. No extended memory. RetroCityRampage[0] is a modern game with a DOS port that uses no more than 640k of RAM [1]. That's a lot more than a simple CLI interface. [0] https://vblank.com/RetroCityRampage/ https://vblank.com/RetroCityRampage/ [1] https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/248019/How_5_years_of_burning_ambition_brought_Retro_City_Rampage_to_DOS.php https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/248019/How_5_years_of_bu...
        srean 8y ago
        Which developers ? 2K seems to have been enough for the Apollo mission to go to the moon and back https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer#Memory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer#Memor...
craftyguy 8y ago
Yea, good luck running Windows 10 on that (since that's what it supposedly ships with).
- sohkamyung 8y ago
  I'm typing this on the original Lenovo Yoga Book with 4GB of RAM and it works. On bootup Win 10 occupies about 2GB of RAM. I'm using Firefox Nightly to view this HN comment and it occupies 500-600 MB of memory, leaving a bit still free. Yes, 4GB is probably ridiculous for a real laptop. But viewed as a tablet, it (the original Yoga Book) is workable. Of course, I would love the new Yoga Book to have more memory. Hopefully, Lenovo gets the memo and tries to add more, although that would push the price up.

by PeCaN 8y ago

>Why do laptop manufacturers insist on being stuck in 2005? why does running apps these days require 16GB because developers insist on using as much RAM as possible

sambull 8y ago

Abstraction

Erlich_Bachman 8y ago

Because RAM is cheap, and human developer/testing time is expensive.

shakna 8y ago
RAM is only cheap if your consumer can actually run your product. As manufacturer's have decided 4GB is good enough for most people... Maybe the developer is the problem.
- craftyguy 8y ago
  > As manufacturer's have decided 4GB is good enough for most people "640K of memory should be enough for anybody."
  - shakna 8y ago
    "RAMs cheap, everyone should have more than enough." Platitudes are cheap. Ignoring the real world, and allowing cheap excuses for either developers or manufacturers isn't acceptable. With 640K, a lot of developers built decent software. They didn't decide that the manufacturer was wrong and so their software would simply be a resource hog, as that was easier for their developers. But they also asked for more too.
    - skyride 8y ago
      With 640K of memory, developers were building basic productivity tools with simple CLI interfaces and little or no extensibility.
      - shakna 8y ago
        Sid Meier's Civilization ran in 640k. No extended memory. RetroCityRampage[0] is a modern game with a DOS port that uses no more than 640k of RAM [1]. That's a lot more than a simple CLI interface. [0] https://vblank.com/RetroCityRampage/ https://vblank.com/RetroCityRampage/ [1] https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/248019/How_5_years_of_burning_ambition_brought_Retro_City_Rampage_to_DOS.php https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/248019/How_5_years_of_bu...
      - srean 8y ago
        Which developers ? 2K seems to have been enough for the Apollo mission to go to the moon and back https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer#Memory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer#Memor...

craftyguy 8y ago

Yea, good luck running Windows 10 on that (since that's what it supposedly ships with).

sohkamyung 8y ago
I'm typing this on the original Lenovo Yoga Book with 4GB of RAM and it works. On bootup Win 10 occupies about 2GB of RAM. I'm using Firefox Nightly to view this HN comment and it occupies 500-600 MB of memory, leaving a bit still free. Yes, 4GB is probably ridiculous for a real laptop. But viewed as a tablet, it (the original Yoga Book) is workable. Of course, I would love the new Yoga Book to have more memory. Hopefully, Lenovo gets the memo and tries to add more, although that would push the price up.