How do I change the update interval for Memory Minder Backgrounder?
How does the update interval work?
Give me some examples on setting the update interval
When "Update Summary" doesn’t seem to update anything...
Using Memory Minder Extension
When to disable Memory Minder Extension
Using Memory Minder Control Panel
Features
Version history
Known challenges
Warranty information
Registration information
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This software is distributed as shareware. This means that you may try this software without any charge or obligation. If you decide to keep and use this software, please register by sending the appropriate fee to the address provided below. When you register, you will receive a printed user manual and unlimited technical support.
Foreign orders and site licenses are welcome: please contact the author for additional information.
Registration fee (for new purchasers):
U.S. $10.00
Upgrades are free for those owning a registered copy.
Please submit a check or money order made payable to:
Andrew Downs
Please mail your payment to:
Andrew Downs
7615 West Lake Street
Morton Grove, IL 60053 USA
You may direct questions to the author via electronic mail addressed to:
AndrewD495@aol.com (America Online and Internet)
Quick start
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1) Drag the Memory Minder Backgrounder and Memory Minder files to your Macintosh hard drive or floppy drive. Open Memory Minder. If this is the first time you've used Memory Minder on your Macintosh, it will automatically start Memory Minder Backgrounder (the data gathering program). Otherwise, you must manually start Memory Minder Backgrounder, either by double-clicking on its icon or selecting "Start Backgrounder" under the "Special" menu within Memory Minder.
2) Use your Macintosh for a few minutes. Open whatever applications you normally use.
3) In Memory Minder, select "Update Summary" to read the gathered data.
4) Click on an application name, then select "Suggest Size..." in the "File" menu to change its partition size. The partition is the amount of RAM reserved for the program. The new partition size will take effect the next time you open that program. Quit when you're finished.
5) Memory Minder Backgrounder will run until you restart or shutdown your Macintosh. It has no user interface. You can also stop/start Memory Minder Backgrounder from within Memory Minder under the "Special" menu.
6) Drag the Memory Minder Extension file to your System Folder. The system will ask if you want it placed in the Extensions folder: click the "OK" button. Restart your Macintosh for the extension to take effect. It automatically adjusts partition sizes for applications when they are opened (launched). It also relies on the data gathered by Memory Minder Backgrounder. You can disable the extension by holding down Command - 0 (zero) when launching applications. Please read the sections titled "Using Memory Minder Extension" and "When to disable Memory Minder Extension" for more details.
7) Drag Memory Minder Control Panel to your System Folder. The system will ask if you want it placed in the Control Panels folder: click the "OK" button. The Control Panel can be used without restarting your Macintosh.
What is Memory Minder?
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Memory Minder is a RAM management tool. Its purpose is to allow you to reduce or increase the memory requirements for application programs.
How does Memory Minder work?
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Each Macintosh application has a minimum and a preferred amount of memory (called a 'partition') that it requests when you open it (by double-clicking). Not all applications make good use of the memory they request; sometimes it goes unused. Memory Minder keeps track of how much memory applications request and then actually use. It lets you adjust the preferred memory size for the applications you've recently used. By doing so, you should be able to keep more applications open simultaneously.
Be careful, though: some programs have certain features that won't work properly if you set the memory size too small. To help you recover from this situation, Memory Minder lets you restore the original size.
How do I use it?
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There are three parts to Memory Minder. The first is a 'background application', called Memory Minder Backgrounder. Its purpose is to gather data. This program can be started by double-clicking, or putting the icon (or an alias) in the Startup Items folder (which is inside the System Folder). Memory Minder Backgrounder will start up, and keep track of applications that you run. It keeps its information in a file in the Preferences folder (inside the System Folder).
There is no user interface to Memory Minder Backgrounder; don't look for menus, dialogs, etc. If it encounters problems while running, you will hear your Mac beep: two beeps indicates a shortage of memory, three indicates a problem with the information file. Memory Minder Backgrounder then quits. If you find that it won't run for more than a few seconds, or consistently quits at the same point (i.e. after opening your 6th application), send me a message and I'll try to find the problem (with your help, of course).
After Memory Minder Backgrounder has been running for a few minutes, startup the program called Memory Minder. This is a regular Macintosh application, with menus, dialogs, etc. Memory Minder reads the information gathered by Memory Minder Backgrounder, and presents you with options for changing memory sizes. Any changes you make to the memory size for a given program will take effect the next time you open that program.
Memory Minder Extension also uses the information gathered by Memory Minder Backgrounder. It calculates an appropriate amount of memory to allocate when you launch an application. No adjustment is made the first time you launch an application, since there is no data available. The documents you open will influence the memory allocated the next time you open that same application.
For more details, please read the sections titled "Using Memory Minder Extension" and "When to disable Memory Minder Extension".
Memory Minder Control Panel can be used to control Memory Minder Backgrounder and Memory Minder Extension. Please read the section titled "Using Memory Minder Control Panel" for additional details.
How do I change the update interval for Memory Minder Backgrounder?
The update interval refers to the time between data gathering attempts by Memory Minder Backgrounder. You may change it by selecting the "Preferences..." item under the "Special" menu, then clicking in the bar to set the value. You may also drag the arrowhead, or click above the bar. Click “OK” to save the new value. “Cancel” will not save the new value.
How does the update interval work?
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Memory Minder Backgrounder only performs so much work when it has control of the processor. It only writes a new information file when it has gathered a complete set of data on all current processes. The more programs you run simultaneously, the longer Memory Minder Backgrounder will take to complete its information gathering and writing. Once it has finished writing, Memory Minder Backgrounder sleeps for a time, then starts the read/write cycle again. What you’re controlling with the interval bar is the time between these read/write cycles.
Give me some examples on setting the update interval
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Setting the interval all the way to the right (underneath 'More Often') results in an update approximately every second. Setting the interval all the way to the left (‘Less Often’) results in an update approximately every 3.5 minutes.
Advice: start close to the right side of the update interval bar, and work your way left. Click "OK" for each change to take effect.
When “Update Summary” doesn’t seem to update anything...
If you select “Update Summary” but the numbers don't change, this may indicate that Memory Minder Backgrounder is either sleeping or still writing its information when Memory Minder goes looking for it. Since the information is still incomplete, Memory Minder decides it’s safer to use the 'old' information. Quitting and reopening Memory Minder gets around this problem, but can slow you down. That’s why the update interval becomes important, and should be set according to your preference. Feel free to experiment; you won’t break anything, and at worst you will have to wait slightly longer for updated information.
Using Memory Minder Extension
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Memory Minder Extension ('MME') will automatically adjust the partition size for applications when they are launched. Please keep in mind the following:
- MME uses the data gathered by Memory Minder Backgrounder. Memory Minder Backgrounder does not have to be currently running.
- MME does not add any memory to an application's partition after it has launched.
- MME is well-suited for applications that allocate more memory than they typically use. It is also useful for applications where you typically work with similar-sized files. If the files that you use with a particular application are of widely-differing sizes, you may occasionally encounter the "not enough memory..." message.
- MME uses an internal algorithm to determine what partition size to allocate. The amount it allocates may not always be suitable for your needs, resulting in a "not enough memory..." message. Please read the section titled "When to disable Memory Minder Extension" for help with this situation.
When to disable Memory Minder Extension
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There are several instances when you will want to disable the extension:
- When you receive a "not enough memory..." message while trying to open a document. Quit the application, then hold down Command - 0 (zero) when reopening the application or document. This will bypass the extension, and let the Finder choose the partition size.
- When using "Get Info" to change an application's partition size. Hold down Command - 0 when selecting "Get Info" from the File menu. Type in your change, then hold down Command - 0 when closing the info window.
- When using ResEdit (or another resource editor) to edit 'SIZE' resources. Hold down Command - 0 when opening a 'SIZE' resource for editing. Once the resource is displayed, you may edit, save, and close it normally.
- When using Memory Minder to change an application's partition size. After typing in a new size (or if you want to use the suggested value), hold down Command - 0 and click the "OK" button (or press the "Return" key). This allows Memory Minder to write the updated size properly.
Using Memory Minder Control Panel
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Memory Minder Control Panel can be used to start and stop Memory Minder Backgrounder, and change the update interval (by clicking in the bar). Using the control panel in this way is faster than opening Memory Minder and using the "Preferences..." menu item.
Memory Minder Control Panel can also be used to control the loading of Memory Minder Extension during system startup. The control panel can also be used to turn Memory Minder Extension on and off after it has been loaded. This is an alternative to using the key combination Command - 0.
Features
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- Memory Minder sorts the listed applications by name, partition size, etc. Click on the column headings to sort the information. Memory Minder displays all memory sizes in kilobytes.
- Memory Minder requires System 7 or greater.
- Stop and restart Memory Minder Backgrounder from within Memory Minder, and change the information gathering interval for Memory Minder Backgrounder. This is useful if your computer runs too slowly with the default setting.
- Balloon help is available within most dialogs and windows.
- Memory Minder Extension uses the data gathered by Memory Minder Backgrounder to automatically adjust the partition size when you open an application.
- Memory Minder Control Panel provides a quick, simple interface for controlling Memory Minder Backgrounder and Memory Minder Extension.
- Memory Minder has been tested on a variety of Macintoshes (including PowerMacs) and operating system versions (7.0 through 7.5). Memory Minder Extension has been tested for compatibility with a variety of other system extensions.
Version history
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v1.4 released 5/95
- Added Memory Minder Control Panel to product family.
- Modified Memory Minder Extension to allow control over loading during system startup, and to allow disabling during system operation.
- File menu: "Open..." allows you to open the data file on other drives mounted on your desktop.
- File menu: "Delete Record" allows you to remove records from Memory Minder data files created by Memory Minder Backgrounder. This is useful for data files that approach the 100-record limit, without requiring you to delete the data file and start over.
v1.3 released 2/95
- Added Memory Minder Extension to product family.
- "Suggest Size..." dialog: now allows you to set partition sizes below the minimum size set by the creator. Please note that this can result in a program not being able to load and/or run properly. You can still change it back to a previous size using Memory Minder.
- "Preferences..." dialog: now allows you to drag the slider, click above the bar, or click in the bar to move the setting. You must still click "OK" for the new interval to take effect.
- Improved precision of the Memory Minder Backgrounder interval timer.
- Memory Minder Backgrounder no longer automatically deletes the data file when it starts up, since the file is used by Memory Minder Extension.
v1.2 released 11/94
- File menu: you may open copies of the summary window that have been saved in Memory Minder format. The contents of these windows may be sorted, and their contents used in changing partitions. You may also open copies of the summary window that have been saved in text format, but you cannot change the partition sizes for programs displayed in the list.
- File menu: "Save As Text..." is replaced by "Save As..." You may save copies of the summary window in either of two formats: Memory Minder format (readable only by Memory Minder), and text (readable by word processors and spreadsheets). If you don't check the "Save as text" box in the save dialog, Memory Minder format will be used.
- Window menu: open windows are displayed here, and may be selected.
- All data files are now ASCII files (formerly resource files). This increases the speed of the update, sort, and save operations.
- Saved files use custom icons.
- Desk Accessories are no longer tracked.
v1.1 released 8/94
- Summary window: displayed sizes are more accurate. In version 1.0 they sometimes differed from the values displayed using “About This Macintosh...” by 15-16 kilobytes.
- Help balloons: the text in several help balloons was simplified.
- File menu: “Quit” is now available whether the Summary window is visible or hidden.
- Status dialog boxes appear while performing a “Save As Text...” or “Update Summary”.
- Special menu: the "Preferences" dialog gives you the option of automatically launching Memory Minder Backgrounder when Memory Minder starts up.
- Less conflict exists over the data file that Memory Minder and Memory Minder Backgrounder share, resulting in fewer quits due to file access problems.
- Updated to accomodate System 7.1 'SIZE' changes.
v1.0 released 3/94
- Initial release.
Known challenges
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- The help text ("Memory Minder Information" under the help menu) occasionally scrolls improperly, hiding the first line. This occurs after resizing the help window.
- Memory Minder can track memory usage but not change sizes for applications that are launched from CD-ROM, or marked as 'locked' or 'not shared'.
- Memory Minder Backgrounder can't record information for more than 100 applications. After this point, you should:
1) Stop Memory Minder Backgrounder.
2) Delete unnecessary records from the "Memory Minder Data" file, which is located in the Preferences folder (in the System Folder).
a. Display the Memory Minder summary window by selecting "Show Summary" in the File menu.
b. Select a record (row of data) to delete by clicking on one of the cells in that row.
c. Select "Delete Record" in the File menu to remove that record from the file. It will also disappear from the window.
3) Start Memory Minder Backgrounder again.
In spite of these challenges, please enjoy the program!
WARRANTY INFORMATION
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THE AUTHOR HAS USED HIS BEST EFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS SOFTWARE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH REGARD TO THE DOCUMENTATION OR PROGRAMS OR DATA PROVIDED. THE AUTHOR SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE WITH RESPECT TO THE DOCUMENTATION AND PROGRAMS DESCRIBED HEREIN. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENTATION OR THE PROGRAMS OR DATA.
THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS AND SHALL INURE TO THE BENEFIT OF THE AUTHOR AND ANY SUCCESSORS, ADMINISTRATORS, HEIRS, AND ASSIGNS. ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT BY EITHER PARTY AGAINST THE OTHER IN CONNECTION WITH OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE BROUGHT ONLY IN A STATE OR FEDERAL COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION LOCATED IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. THE PARTIES HEREBY CONSENT TO IN PERSONAM JURISDICTION OF SAID COURTS.
