however, to the degree this has caused people to conclude that the real problem is "just" memory it is a red herring and a grave disservice. this topic has caused more witch-hunting and suspension of reason by otherwise smart people than anything in recent memory.

Yes, the level of confusion (pun intended) surrounding these issues is very high. BTW, i agree with your conclusion (that scarcity of cycles is the issue) completely. I'd like to point out that flap dampening is a band-aid; the real solutions are in eliminating sources of flap, rather than easying symptoms. --vadim