Re: master 5c532fe303: Recommend that the user turn off memory overcommit

[Óscar Fuentes]

Po Lu <luangruo@yahoo.com> writes:

> Óscar Fuentes <ofv@wanadoo.es> writes:
>
>> Stefan Monnier <monnier@iro.umontreal.ca> writes:
>>
>>>> +@cindex memory trouble, GNU/Linux
>>>> +  On GNU/Linux systems, the system does not normally report running
>>>> +out of memory to Emacs, and can instead randomly kill processes when
>>>> +they run out of memory.  We recommend that you turn this behavior off,
>>>> +so that Emacs can respond correctly when it runs out of memory, by
>>>> +becoming the super user, editing the file @code{/etc/sysctl.conf} to
>>>> +contain the following lines, and then running the command @code{sysctl
>>>> +-p}:
>>>
>>> FWIW, I think this is none of Emacs's business.
>>
>> +1
>>
>> Recommending to tweak kernel parameters is way over the top for dealing
>> with system-wide conditions on a way that supposedly is "correct" for
>> Emacs specifically.
>
> Why?

Because what is (supposedly) good for Emacs can be wrong for some other
application which is at least as important as Emacs for the user.

> We recommend doing just that in many places when a kernel parameter
> interferes with the normal behavior of Emacs, especially in
> etc/PROBLEMS, with exec-shield and ASLR.

Those are recommendations to be applied temporarily just when building
Emacs on certain specific (and possibly rare nowadays) scenarios.