On Sun, 30 Nov 2025, at 18:43, Bradford C. Vokey wrote:
> Linus Tech Tips recently posted a video about building the PERFECT Linux
> PC with the actual Linus Torvalds:
>
>   - full entertaining video:
> https://youtu.be/mfv0V1SxbNA?si=AkLZOlwuf3nKqZ7F
>
>   - just the short part talking about ECC:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfv0V1SxbNA&t=510s
>
> ---
>
> So Linus Torvalds (and of course our very own MUUG vice-president Trevor
> Cordes) need ECC when their computers are responsible for bisecting or
> merging their own kernels.
>
> I get that.
>
> But can't the rest of us on non-ECC memory people just simply reset our
> computers and continue on?
>
> Debate started...
>

I view ECC as a critical step to reliability at multiple levels. Today's OSs keep significant amounts of data in RAM so they don't have to go to disk as often. If you have a memory error that goes undetected that RAM when it gets flushed to disk, has just written bad/corrupted data on disk. The more RAM you have the greater the probability something will go wrong. The higher density (and typically lower operating voltage) chips (7nm for example) have smaller "charges" in each memory cell which increases the probability of an error. IMHO, if you care about your data you want ECC.

--
  David Milton
  david@dmilton.ca,
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