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8. What Memory (RAM) Is For I like to use a desk metaphor when explaining disk vs. RAM to relatives, etc. If the hard disk is the filing cabinet, the amount o
by trunnell 17y ago
8. What Memory (RAM) Is For
I like to use a desk metaphor when explaining disk vs. RAM to relatives, etc.
If the hard disk is the filing cabinet, the amount of RAM is like the size of your desk. You can take a file out of the filing cabinet and work on it at your desk. If you take out 5 files, you need a bigger desk. If you run out of room on the desk, you have to put files back in the cabinet, e.g. close the window. It's not a perfect metaphor but for some reason they usually get it much better than talking about RAM as "what your programs use."
EDIT: oops, it looks like I'm not the only one with this idea http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=853104 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=853104