Re: CDR: Freedomnet, Mac and Virtual Memory

[Sunder <sunder@sunder.net>]

potsmoker@alpha.freedom.net wrote:
> 
> > Do Macs (and does your VPC) try to save CPU state to disk (which one)
> > for recovery when the  power is cut?
> 
> In fact, someone else pointed out in private email something that I should have realized myself: There is a serious security risk in the form of the Mac's virtual memory swap file.  The entire VPC session is held in application ram, which can/will be written to disk in the swap file.  Even when the VPC application is exited and the PGP Disk dismounted, the Freedom keys may still reside (in cleartext!) in my swap file.  Even when the power is turned off, the swap file is still there.  (PGP Tools has a "Wipe Free Space" feature, but the swap file is, of course, not "free" as long as the OS is running.)

Buy more fucking RAM and disable virtual memory.  Mac Virtual memory sucks ass
anyway.  It's no better than Windblows 95's.
 
> Unfortunately, this is a major problem. Macs don't run well with Virtual memory turned off, period. 

Bullshit.  They run fine if you throw lots of RAM their way.  What, you've only
got 32M?  Shame on you!  Get at least 256M and watch your Mac fly.
Or if you're a cheap fucker, once you run everything you want to run all at the
same time, go out to the Finder, go to the Apple menu and pick "About MacOS"
read it and weep.  That's how much RAM you'll need to buy.

*BURP*

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