Talk:Cache algorithms

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How about this formulation: optimizing instructions implementable in a computer program to manage a (locally) stored cache of information rene.bach@isb.admin.ch

[edit] Merge

Since both the articles describe the same thing, I vote for their merger. --Soumyasch 06:16, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

I vote for not merging - cache algorithms are applicable outside of the operating systems area. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 213.67.251.34 (talk • contribs) 12:03, 14 April, 2006 (UTC).

This is definitly two different things and should not be merged together. This page helped me get information easy however I viewed the other page and it would have taken me a lot longer to get the information. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Peppage (talk • contribs) 07:44, 26 April, 2006.

I think the articles should should merge! The article on page replacement algorithms describe the applications of caching algorithms to virtual memory management. It should be a section in this article. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 129.241.127.122 (talk • contribs) 16:04, 9 May, 2006.

I vote against merging. While caching and paging are very closely related concepts, caching algorithms and page replacement algorithms are not similar. When was the last time you heard of K-way set associative virtual memory? Crispy 04:47, 13 May 2006 (UTC)

You could certainly make such a virtual memory. You'd have to redesign your MMU to be K-way associative instead of fully associative, but the algorithm would work the same way for virtual memory pages as it does to a CPU cache. Bigpeteb 17:23, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Maybe best to keep the articles separate and write a small section on page replacement algorithms in this article 129.241.127.122

These should be separate articles. There are a lot of applications for caching, and many people looking for information about those applications would not know to look for page replacement algorithms. Even if they did, they would have to dig through a complicated example to get the general information. The caching algorithms page should just mention that page replacement algorithms are a good example, and have a link.Funbobby 16:53, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

^^. Seriously, LRU != page replacement. Were you people that want to merge the articles even CS majors? If you were, you would know that LRU is merely a candidate of many possibilities and only a part of page replacement in general. How in the heck could that possibly be the same thing? I use a combustion engine in my car...should the articles for a combustion engine and automobile be merged into one?

Umm. The article you're commenting on is about cache algorithms in general, not any specific algorithm. In general, a cache is a "practical" implementation of "endless storage", and a virtual memory system (which is where page replacement algorithms are used) is a "practical" implementation of "endless memory". Cache item replacement algorithms and page replacement algoritms address the same exact problem: how to avoid throwing things away that you will need again, sooner or later. Where did you get your CS major? ;-) 85.119.130.132 10:16, 17 August 2006 (UTC)

(but for the record, I don't see the point of merging these; page replacement is specific enough to deserve its own page)

I vote for the merge. The algorithms described on Page replacement algorithm are just specific applications of general cache algorithms. That page certainly goes into more detail, but much of it is spent describing the algorithms. The details of how those particular algorithms are implemented in terms of paging should go in paging or virtual memory, don't you think? (Although "cache algorithm" is a poor name to cover both subjects, since virtual memory isn't exactly a cache. If they're merged I'd vote for changing the name to something else, too.) Bigpeteb 17:23, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Yep, if you keep an open mind, paging uses a form of caching to achieve its goal. However, to be practical we should not merge the pages. There are a lot more caches than memory-to-disk (think of a web cache...), so the cache algorithms should be on a very general level (not using words such as disk or page or CPU). It would be then hardly an usable article from the paging perspective, hence we have the Page replacement algorithm that describes those once again with paging terms and provides paging-specific details (with links to general versions!). --Kubanczyk 19:37, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Merge or not, the pages Cache algorithms and Page replacement algorithm have no links to each other. This must be fixed. Vegasprof 18:39, 19 November 2006 (UTC)

Summary: since we shouldn't keep those pages tagged forever, I'm closing the discussion. There was no consensus reached, and no real dialogue, so I will just count the votes... Wait a minute... Tadaaaam: Cache algorithms will not be merged with Page replacement algorithm. --Kubanczyk 19:55, 17 September 2007 (UTC)