Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!polyslo!rcfische
From: rcfische@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Raymond C. Fischer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: System Taking Too Much Memory
Keywords: System, Memory, Inits, cdev's
Message-ID: <1989Oct21.044750.11424@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU>
Date: 21 Oct 89 04:47:50 GMT
References: <1674@cod.NOSC.MIL>
Reply-To: rcfische@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Raymond C. Fischer)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 32

In article <1674@cod.NOSC.MIL> scallon@cod.NOSC.MIL (Matthew C. Scallon) writes:
>I'm having a problem with the system taking up too much memory, to the point
>that I can't open up some programs like Microsoft Excel 2.2 or Adobe Illustra-
>tor.  When running under Multifinder, I get a message the application can't be
>open because the machine is out of memory.  With no other applications and 
>4 Megs?  Be serious!!

I'm going to give some information that, to experienced Mac users, will 
be incredibly obvious, but to new Mac users may not have been stated anywhere
before.  You have been warned.

  First, the size of the System file has very little to do with the amount
of ram used by the system.  The two biggest sources of discrepancies are
fonts/DA's and the disk cache.
  Fonts and desk accessories do not take up any RAM at all unless they are 
actually being used at the moment by a running application.  A system
file can take up 1200k of disk space, but because no application is using
the fonts and no desk accessories are open, no RAM is being used.
  The disk cache, on the other hand, takes up no disk space at all, but can
use up over 4 megs of RAM on a 5 meg machine.  This is often the case when
the 'About Finder' box shows the system using more than 400k.

How to reduce the amount of memory being used by the system?
1) reduce the size of the disk cache or turn it off.  This is done from
   the control panel.  Near the bottom of 'General'
2) take INIT's out of your system folder.  All of them use memory.  Some
   like SuperClock! use little.  Others (Suitcase) use moderate amounts,
   and some, like Backdrop and SoundMaster can use lots (up to 200k).
Removing fonts and da's from your system folder will not help any.

Ray Fischer
rcfische@polyslo.calpoly.edu