Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!netcom!ergo
From: ergo@netcom.UUCP (Isaac Rabinovitch)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: "insufficient memory to run application" -- misleading
Message-ID: <18793@netcom.UUCP>
Date: 14 Dec 90 21:01:15 GMT
Organization: UESPA
Lines: 44

In <4061@mindlink.UUCP> a1076@mindlink.UUCP (Robert Bell) writes:

>I've been using telemate for a few days now and am very impressed with it
>.However I am unable to run it from windows 3.0 as a dos application.I have
>tried creating a pif for it but every time I run telemate I get the message
>insufficient memory,even though I have 550k available for its use under
>windows-can anyone help ?

Yesterday, I downloaded Graphics Workshop.  First I ran it under the
command interpreter that I keep running under Windows.  Worked fine.
Now, GW isn't a Windows app, but it does come with a PIF file and an 
icon file.  So, just to see how it worked that way, I tried running it
directly from windows.  Windows choked.  "Insufficient memory!  Try
closing some applications!"  Closing applications didn't work, which
is no suprise, since the diagnostic didn't make any sense -- how can
windows not allocate memory for GW itself, when it has no trouble
finding memory for GWS *and* 120K or so of command interpreters and
TSRs?

But that's what I figured out later.  What I did first was compare the
two PIFs (for the command interpreter and for GW), field by field.
There were several differences, but only one turned out to be
important:  The command interpeter had 0 mimimum convetional memory,
while GW demanded 512K.  Changed GW's mimimum to 0, and it ran fine.

Thus the error message is misleading.  Actually, it's just not specific
enough (few windows error messages are!) -- you can have plenty of
memory free and still get this message, if you don't have the right
*kind* of memory available.  And message is simply wrong when it
assumes that memory shortages come only from too many applications
running at once.

The PIF Editor's memory forms are misleading also.  The minimums
aren't actually "required" at all.  Come to think of it, they aren't
even minimums!  If I'm reading the manual right, you'll just get less
swapping if you set the "minimum memory requirement" to a value that's
close to what the program will actually use.
-- 

	ergo@netcom.uucp			Isaac Rabinovitch
	netcom!ergo@apple.com			Silicon Valley, CA
	{apple,amdahl,claris}!netcom!ergo

		THIS STATEMENT IS VERIFIABLY, IRREFUTABLY TRUE!