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- ID:MS Memory Size Field Explanation
- Quarterdeck Technical Note #129
- By Joe Wilder
-
- The Memory Size (in K) option is a number set to allow DESQview the
- opportunity to tell the user whether there is enough memory to open
- a particular program. That is to say, DESQview compares the number
- in the Memory Size (in K) field to the Largest Available fields
- (conventional and expanded) in Memory Status (which varies
- according to which and how many programs are running). If the
- Memory Size in K field is larger than BOTH conventional and
- expanded Largest Available, DESQview puts a message on the screen
- telling the user there is not enough memory to open that window.
- At this point DESQview hasn't even tried to open the program. It's
- just telling the user there's not enough memory according to the
- user's specification to try to run the program. This is useful to
- prevent a program from attempting to run and then freeze for lack
- of available memory. Note: Programs running under DESQview require
- between 9K - 14K extra memory for DESQview to manage their windows.
-
- The Maximum Program Memory Size (in K) is the amount of memory
- which DESQview will try to acquire for the particular program. If
- this number is higher than the Largest Available fields in memory
- status (both conventional and expanded), DESQview will acquire
- every last byte that is available in the partition it chooses to
- use whether the program needs that much memory or not.
-
- If there is ample memory on the computer you might want to set
- Maximum Program Memory Size to some very high number that you
- know is beyond what is actually available. This, of course, may
- not be desirable for people with machines with limited memory who
- are trying to multitask a couple of small programs. They may
- want to try to squeeze multiple small programs into the first
- partition, which would be completely used up if the first
- program's Maximum Program Memory Size (in K) was set higher than
- necessary.
-
- Maximum Expanded Memory Size (in K) is used to limit a program by
- the amount of expanded memory it may use. If Maximum Expanded
- Memory Size is left blank, a program may take or leave as much
- expanded memory as it wants. If a number is put in this field,
- the program may take as much memory as it wants up to that number.
- If a program doesn't use all the Expanded memory allocated by this
- field, the rest is still available for other uses. This is
- especially useful for running programs that grab all of the
- expanded memory available, leaving nothing for other uses. This
- convention is not to be confused with the usage of a blank with the
- Maximum Program Memory Size (in K). In the case of Maximum Program
- Memory Size, a blank means this field will default to the number in
- Program Memory Size (in K).
-
- Copyright (C) 1991 by Quarterdeck Office Systems
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