Buffering is a way of organizing the exchange, namely, input and output of data in computing devices and computers. The buffer is used as a place for temporary storage of data. During data entry, some devices write data to the buffer, while others read data from the buffer. With the withdrawal, everything is exactly the opposite.
Where do we meet buffering?
Virtually all processes in a PC are associated with this process. It is not easy for an uninformed person to understand what buffering is. However, observing it is very simple: the same movie downloads online - data is buffered, the movie is downloaded to the cache and played, although it is not on the computer.
This operation allows processes to perform data input and output independently of each other. Due to its usefulness, buffering is used in multifunctional OSs.
Several types of it are used in computer graphics for input, output and image processing. Their implementation is hardware or software.
An example of buffering in hardware is the modem's RAM, which is used to temporarily store received and sent files.
An example of buffering in software is multi-tasking OS, in which, when entering data for printing, files in the print queue are temporarily downloaded.
Advanced PC users need to know what buffering is.
In the field of information technology, there is always superficial and in-depth information. Having figured out what buffering is, you can go further and consider its types in more detail.
Double and triple buffering are known to exist. They will be discussed in the next subheading.
Triple buffering - what is it?
In computer graphics, this type of process under discussion is a kind of double buffering. The only difference is the image output method. Triple allows you to avoid or reduce the number of artifacts. Also, differences between double and triple buffering are observed in the speed of image output.
Triple buffering is also synchronization with the refresh rate of the screen. The third buffer is used here as a method of providing free space for requests for changes in the total amount of graphics displayed. It acts as a kind of repository. The triple buffering method requires more resources, but provides a consistent frame rate.
Three buffers are not a limit. However, there is no need for 4 or more places for temporary storage of uploaded files, only 3 of them will always work actively. Therefore, the best option is triple buffering.
Consider what is buffering in games?
Buffering is also used to transmit game images. In games, both double and triple are used. Double buffering is for weaker PCs and OS, while triple buffering is for more powerful ones.
If you use triple buffering on a weak OS, the game may be buggy. In other words, the performance depends on what kind of process is used on your computer. Games are also different, with different requirements for PC and OS.
It’s quite difficult to choose the type of buffering, as game manufacturers create their brainchild using a variety of methods. Therefore, in gaming forums you can often hear about how a certain game does not work well with triple buffering, and vice versa.
Ideally, manufacturers should indicate the system requirements of a particular game, its compatibility with various operating systems, buffering support, etc.
If the manufacturer did not give specific information about compatibility, you can check it yourself. In any case, only time is wasted, it will not bring any harm to the computer. Incompatibility can be noticed almost immediately, as it is reflected in the inhibition of graphic visualization and poor image synchronization with sound.
About output buffering
Output buffering is a pretty useful thing. This function consists in stacking all the output of the script into a stack, adding cookie headers and another specific script resulting from the work. After the processing of information is complete, all data is sent to the client in the reverse order, that is, first the headers, then the page and then the result of the script.
Opportunities that come with output buffering
- Sending a cookie from absolutely anywhere in the script.
- Start a session at any time.
- Compress data before sending it to the client.
It should be remembered that compression will require additional processor resources. But the transmission speed will increase by 40% (depending on the number of images and text). Pictures are known to compress much worse than text. Output buffering is not enabled by default.
There are 2 methods to enable output buffering:
- Suitable for those who own the server itself or who have access to the php.ini file. All that is required is to find the output_buffering directive in this file and set it to On.
- The second way is to use ob_start () in a script whose output needs to be buffered.
So we figured out what buffering is.