www.virtualacorn.co.uk/forum

How do I increase the 'Next' memory allocation? I know I can do it by moving the red slider along in Task=>Application Tasks=>Next but I want to make a more permanent change.

The concept of the "Next" slot is very outdated, it really dates to RISC OS 2 (or even earlier). Anything written in the last 20 years should be setting up it's memory requirements in the !Run file using the WimpSlot command.

Having said the above, there used to be a way of setting it, but it's so long since I have done so (RISC OS 2, no hard disc) that I can't remember and it may be that the facility no longer exists in RISC OS. RISCOS Ltd should know for certain.

A *wimpslot command in an Obey file run at boot up will do this, *help wimpslot shows the syntax, eg :-

*wimpslot -next 2M

The above worked on OS4.39 but note that OS4.02 only recognises the K size argument.

Some command line tools do require more than the default 640KB.

The pittdj method works fine. We wrote it up in Archive mag some years ago but I dunno where...

But we've put a single-line obey file in Tasks saying: *wimpslot -next 10000k

... which configures Next to 10MB at start-up on (AFAIK) all versions of RO4 and later.

It noticeably cuts down on read/write disc thrashing when copying or moving large files and gives a noticeable speed-up with PCs (and I presume Macs). It's even more beneficial on real RiscPCs and the like. There don't appear to be any adverse effects.

HTH

Mike Nicholl
pp T.O.M.S.

Archive May 2004 Vol17 No8, "VirtualRPC-SE in Use".

Just what I want it for. Thanks Mike.

Brian