UPX or not UPX FreeDOS programs/TSRs?

UPX or not UPX FreeDOS programs/TSRs?

[Frantisek Hanzlik]

Hi all more experienced,

I'm trying to revise and update dosemu-freedos package (subset of
FreeDOS stuff used in DOSEMU usual installation) and I'm not sure,
what is better - whether packaged programs by UPX or not. Actual
dosemu-freedos-1.0-bin.tgz contains 40+ binaries, roughly half of
them is packed with UPX - generally as FreeDOS program maintainers
did.

And I'm not sure, what is optimal, use UPX or not. On some binaries
it cause significant space reduction - e.g. 'display.exe' 0.13b has
62535 Byte, and UPXed has only 3651 Byte.
On other hand - at current disks sizes few (dozen or hundred) kB is
nothing, and UPX packaging has perhaps its own disadvantages - and
maybe especially with TSRs (as 'display.exe' is) this may lead to
memory fragmentation(?).
Thus, what is Your opinion on the use of UPX?

Thanks, Franta Hanzlik

Re: UPX or not UPX FreeDOS programs/TSRs?

[Ivan Baldo]

     I don't know how it works in DOS, but if it creates a temporary 
file to decompress and then executes that temporary file, then you have 
an additional disk write per program executed and also some more cache 
misses, so, in that case I think is preferable to not use that 
compression since it will be slower and as you say, the space reductions 
aren't needed today.
     But if it decompresses in RAM and executes directly the 
decompressed executable in RAM without touching the disk, then why not?
     Thank you!!! Have a nice day.



El 04/05/14 06:17, Frantisek Hanzlik escribió:
> Hi all more experienced,
>
> I'm trying to revise and update dosemu-freedos package (subset of
> FreeDOS stuff used in DOSEMU usual installation) and I'm not sure,
> what is better - whether packaged programs by UPX or not. Actual
> dosemu-freedos-1.0-bin.tgz contains 40+ binaries, roughly half of
> them is packed with UPX - generally as FreeDOS program maintainers
> did.
>
> And I'm not sure, what is optimal, use UPX or not. On some binaries
> it cause significant space reduction - e.g. 'display.exe' 0.13b has
> 62535 Byte, and UPXed has only 3651 Byte.
> On other hand - at current disks sizes few (dozen or hundred) kB is
> nothing, and UPX packaging has perhaps its own disadvantages - and
> maybe especially with TSRs (as 'display.exe' is) this may lead to
> memory fragmentation(?).
> Thus, what is Your opinion on the use of UPX?
>
> Thanks, Franta Hanzlik
>
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-- 
Ivan Baldo - ibaldo@adinet.com.uy - http://ibaldo.codigolibre.net/
 From Montevideo, Uruguay, at the south of South America.
Freelance programmer and GNU/Linux system administrator, hire me!
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