Tackle stubborn disk partitioning in OS X If partitioning a drive with Disk Utility gives you unmount or resource busy errors, there may be workarounds you can use.

It notes: "Unlike most other UNIX versions, Mac OS X does not use a separate partition for the virtual memory swap file.

Apple has publicly touted a significant new feature in OS X 10.9 Mavericks designed to maximize RAM, storage and CPU use while also boosting power efficiency: Compressed Memory.

Memory Partitioning for MCU Based Devices System developers can now use a real-time operating system that is scalable to conform to resource limitations typical of microcontroller (MCU)-based devices ...

To use OS X's handy OS X Recovery feature, or to enable FileVault on an external drive, you need a special recovery partition on your drive. This utility can add it if the OS X installer didn't.