What Is Streaming Buffer Size?
Often, users access data from sources that offer continuous flows of information, such as streaming media or input that occurs over time, such as from a keyboard. In these cases, a buffered stream of information allows the computer to handle this information smoothly for the user. The size of the buffer dictates how smooth the flow of information is for the user. A larger buffer will allow the temporary storage of more incoming data, at the cost of using more memory.
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Standard Input and Output
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Often, input and output in a program occurs in a single action. A user enters input, maybe textual or through a series of choices in a graphical user interface, and the program stores this input in a variable or reference. The operating system handles the input and input operations, which means the data might be fetched from a network source or the hard disk. These requests take time to accomplish, slowing a program's execution time.
Buffered Streams
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Buffered streams mitigate the problems of I/O use by creating a space in the program's memory to store portions of the input for use. The buffer will contain a part of the data, which the program reads immediately from memory. When the buffer empties, or when another specific condition is met, such as the buffer reaching a half-empty status, the program will then make the call to the system to load more data into the buffer. This limits system calls necessary to process data, possibly speeding execution.
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Buffered Stream Sizes
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The size of the buffer depends on the user's needs and determines how much data the buffer can store. This means that the buffer can have a lot of data ready for the program to read, or it can have a little space that requires more system calls. Typically, buffered objects in object-oriented programming languages come with a default size. Different application needs may call for buffer size modification. A streaming audio application might need more buffered space than an application dealing with keyboard input, for example.
Buffer Size and Performance
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The size of the buffer directly relates to how many system calls a program might need to make during execution. If a program reads data before processing, the relationship between the size of the buffer and the time efficiency tends to plateau. However, programs that stream data tend to gain a significant benefit from increased buffer size. These programs constantly process data from the buffer, meaning that a larger buffer might decrease system calls required.
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