OptiMem RAM Charger Update Notes April 1996 * v2.1.4 Keywords: OptiMem RAM Charger Doubler Software Memory Upgrade OptiMization Utility Control Panel Macintosh Jump System Enhancement Extension Description: Updates previous versions of OptiMem RAM Charger v2. Includes several improvements. REQUIRED: The original OptiMem RAM Charger distribution and serial ID are needed to use this updater. Works on any Mac running System 7 or later. Contact: Jump Development Group E-mail: RAMCharger (at) RAMCharger.com Please take the time to read about the new OptiMem Settings Wizard described in the Manual Addendum at the end of this document. We hope you will find this new feature very useful in getting the most out of your Mac's memory. Change Log Notable Changes in the Updates to OptiMem RAM Charger Version 2.1.4 * OptiMem Improvement: OptiMem automatically will not OptiMize any application whose name contains "Install" or "PrintMonitor". In general, these applications do not benefit from OptiMization. You may over-ride the default by choosing your own settings for these applications. * OptiMem Improvement: Work around a bug in At Ease 3.0 which would cause At Ease to return to the login screen when you started any application. * Installer Improvement: Enhanced the license ID recognition to allow a broader range of entry formats. * Installer Improvement: The installer now scans your Mac for any system extensions with known problems. If any are found, it reminds you to look at the notes in our "OptiMem Read Me First" file in order to avoid or workaround any possible problems. * OptiMem Fix: Notify alternate launcher programs (or Finder substitutes) when an opened application quits. Specifically, KidDesk would not return when the started application was "Quit". * OptiMem Fix: Enhancements to Network Copy Detection scheme. Most importantly, fixed a problem where "This license is already in use on another computer" could be displayed inappropriately under unusual circumstances when a second computer with the same OptiMem Serial ID is running with OptiMem disabled. * OptiMem Fix: Repair a bug in the Settings Wizard, on Power Macs with virtual memory off, which would recommend a change to an initial memory block size but then set the size incorrectly. * Application Settings Change: The settings for Adobe Photoshop have been changed so that Photoshop is not OptiMized by default. (To OptiMize Photoshop, open the OptiMem Settings window and check the OptiMized box for Photoshop.) We have done this to avoid confusion for some new users: there is a complication on Macs with more than 24MB of RAM that requires the installation of Adobe's optional "Piggy Plug-ins Patch" if you want to run Photoshop OptiMized (otherwise it gets "greedy" and takes most of your free memory right when it starts). Look in the notes for Photoshop in the OptiMem Settings window for more information on using Photoshop OptiMized. * OptiMem Settings Fix: Repair a bug that would crash OptiMem Settings if you clicked on the dimmed "Standard" button when doing a "Restore" of an application's preferences. * OptiMem Settings Fix: Made a change in OptiMem Settings to avoid a crash when using Now SuperBoomerang's Find [File] operation from the directory dialog box during a "Select Other Application..." operation. Version 2.1.3 * OptiMem Improvement: Support for and synchronization with Japanese OptiMem RAM Charger. (An English version of 2.1.3 was not produced.) Version 2.1.2 * OptiMem Improvement: The preferences for automatically optimizing new applications (and the associated notification) have been made more clear and work more consistently in all situations now. * OptiMem Improvement: Added enhancements to the Settings Wizard so that more variables are evaluated and additional suggestions can be made. * OptiMem Improvement: OptiMization settings for an application may now be deleted completely by selecting the application (in the OptiMem Settings window) and holding down the Option key while clicking the Restore button. * OptiMem Improvement: Applications that for some reason do not have a valid version number resource, were previously not allowed to be OptiMized. They are now allowed to be, with OptiMem pretending that they are version 0.0.1. * OptiMem Improvement: Added a workaround to a bug in Photoshop 3.0.4 in their patch to the SetGrowZone trap. * OptiMem Improvement: Added a workaround to a bug in PopupFolders 2.0.1 (and potentially others) in the way they patch and unpatch system routines. * OptiMem Change: The Alert when using a Power Mac, recommending that virtual memory be turned on, has been removed. (Power Mac users still benefit from using VM but some are better off without it.) * OptiMem Fix: In some configurations (usually Power Macs) some applications with unusual stack space requirements would fail to launch when OptiMized for the first time. They would either crash while launching (for example eWorld) or show an alert that the Preferred Size was too small even when it was obviously large enough. This required a manual adjustment of optimization settings to make it work. OptiMem can now accommodate these situations and adjust the appropriate settings automatically. * OptiMem Fix: Made a change so that some applications that were unable to recognize that free memory was available in some situations are now able to access the additional memory successfully. * OptiMem Fix: Fixed the amount of memory reported in the OptiMem Settings Notes field when the application is running (with some configurations the stack size was calculated incorrectly and the size was about 17K off). * OptiMem Fix: Fixed a dialog button outline that was not redrawn correctly every time. * Installer Fix: In some configurations using System 7.0.x in 24-bit mode the Installer might crash when Merging Prefs, if there was no previous copy of OptiMem Preferences installed. This has been fixed. Version 2.1.1 * OptiMem Improvement: Accommodate optimization of additional applications on Power Macs that use the Code Fragment Manager and have unusual stack requirements. * OptiMem Improvement: Better automatic OptiMization settings for native applications on Power Macs. * OptiMem Improvement: Support for OptiMizing very old applications with non-standard version resources (like Excel 2.2) has been added. * OptiMem Fix: Auto-opening of the Heads-up display has been delayed to avoid being in the way when rebuilding the desktop. * OptiMem Fix: For Power Mac native applications (that use the "Code Fragment Manager"), the memory requirement sizes displayed in the OptiMem Settings window when virtual memory is off have been corrected. * OptiMem Fix: Items added by some applications to the Help menu were removed occasionally, when another application was opened. This has been fixed. * OptiMem Fix: Some applications which had not been OptiMized before, when selected from the Apple menu, did not open correctly. This has been fixed. (Also removed the "write to address 0" when displaying the alert during launch.) * OptiMization Settings: Included a default setting for Netscape to run unoptimized. This Web browser has been designed to grow and fill all available memory, keeping in memory all the web pages that are visited, to provide the best speed of operation. Therefore, if you run it OptiMized, it will gradually fill up all the free memory in your machine. For most use, it will be preferable to decide how much memory you want to dedicate to Netscape, set its Preferred Size to that amount, and run it unoptimized. Version 2.1 * OptiMem Improvement: The Settings Wizard was added to observe/report on memory used by an application and make suggestions for adjusting OptiMization settings for better results. (For more information, see the following Manual Addendum section in this file.) * OptiMem Improvement: The dialog box displayed when a new application is to be opened, provides additional options and does not require the use of special keys to access options. * OptiMem Improvement: Improved interaction when using the keyboard shortcut to change the OptiMization setting while opening an application. * OptiMem Improvement: Auto-opening the Heads-up window at startup is now performed without placing an alias to the control panel in the Startup Items folder. This avoids all of the problems with Startup Items that exist in current versions of system software. * OptiMem Improvement: Improved type-in entry of number fields in the OptiMem Settings window. * OptiMization Settings: Revised settings for WordPerfect 3.1 to avoid unusal situations of being tight on memory, introduced in OptiMem 2.0.2. * OptiMization Settings: Revised settings for M.Y.O.B. to avoid slow-down when using large files. Version 2.0.2 * Application fix: Added a fix for applications that have the "purgable WDEF bug." This bug is found in a number of popular applications (reported in ClarisWorks and WordPerfect) and causes infrequent crashes (with system error #87), unrelated to OptiMem. OptiMem now fixes any application with this problem when it is run OptiMized. * OptiMem Improvement: Add to the "Squeeze When Switched To Background" option so that more free memory is recovered outside of application initial memory blocks. * OptiMem Improvement: Better techniques avoid blocking of system memory in more situations. Auto- Stretch System default increased to 100K. * OptiMem Improvement: Loading of OptiMem CODE resource at system startup time now works even during very unusual limited memory conditions. * OptiMem Improvement: When the Heads-up window (or other control panel) is forced to close by the Finder thinking that memory is tight, provide easier access to auto-re-open them. * OptiMem Improvement: More effective maintenance of the "Emergency Reserve." This helps some unusual applications that might otherwise crash in the background, such as "Open Sesame!" * OptiMem Improvement: Changed name of Heads-up auto- open alias in the Startup Items from "OptiMem" to "OptiMem alias." This makes it more clear that it is an alias and avoids the Now Startup Manager bug seen on some Macs. * OptiMem Improvement: Several minor cosmetic improvements. * OptiMem Fix: Use the correct Partition Size during launch of a new application where the user turns OptiMization off with the keyboard shortcut. * OptiMem Fix: Fix bug which caused unpredictable behavior during unusual system startups. For example, it caused a crash when starting up with At Ease in control and then immediately starting the Finder, when there were items in the Startup Items folder. * OptiMization Settings: Revised settings for new versions of applications that did not work well using settings inherited from previous versions: MacTools Pro AutoCheck 4.0, Now Contact 3.0.1, Now Up-To-Date 3.0.1. * OptiMization Settings: America Online 2.5.1, increased default initial memory block so imaging module will load without complaint. * Installer Improvement: Simplified the standard "Easy Install" sequence. Also, display progress while merging new preferences with old. * Demo Improvement: The demo installed without a Serial ID now lasts 7 Days. Version 2.0.1 * Improved compatibility with At Ease, or other "substitute" finders (the real Finder too, if it has been renamed.) * Improved remembering of OptiMem Heads-up window location, even when closed improperly (for example, when the system or Finder crashes) or when relocated while using At Ease. * Made Installer more robust under some unusual memory configurations. * Added alert and help for user to re-open Control Panels that the Finder has closed due to a momentary memory shortage. * Made OptiMem Settings more robust when encountering a damaged or missing SIZE resource in an application. * PowerMac only: Now able to optimize native-only applications even if they do not have a CODE resource. * PowerMac only: Found additional bugs in Apple's Modern Memory Manager. a) Fixed MaxApplZone clobbering the end of application heap. (RAM Doubler users could crash when it encountered the damaged heap early in app launch.) b) Added a work-around for the modified behavior of SetApplLimit, which caused some applications to break down under tight memory conditions (for example, CP AutoCheck). * Mac Plus w/ System 7.0 only: Fixed "Unimplemented Trap" crash when using pop-up menus in the OptiMem Settings window. M a n u a l A d d e n d u m Additions and Clarifications to the Manual * AVOIDING PROBLEMS WHEN USING THE STARTUP ITEMS FOLDER Applications that are automatically opened when you start your computer (by using the Startup Items folder) are launched in a different way than they would be otherwise. These differences have led to complications with system enhancements (such as OptiMem) that are involved with the launching process. All known problems with Startup Items have been resolved as of version 2.1 of OptiMem. However, if you suspect something is not working correctly after installing OptiMem, you might test with any Startup Items removed to see if one is the cause (just move the items out of the Startup Items folder temporarily by dragging them to the Desktop or another folder). If a problem is found with a Startup Item, try running it after startup in order to set up OptiMization parameters correctly. Then try it in the Startup Items again. * HEADS-UP WINDOW NOT REQUIRED TO OPTIMIZE MEMORY It should be made clear that the Heads-up window is simply an optional information display. This means that OptiMem RAM Charger will be active and OptiMizing your memory whether the Heads-up window is open or not. You may close the window at any time (or even set it to not open when your computer first starts„see following paragraph) and memory OptiMization will continue just the same. To reopen the Heads-up window at any time simply open OptiMem from your Control Panels folder. * QUIET AND UNOBTRUSIVE OPERATION If you prefer that OptiMem RAM Charger work as quietly and smoothly as possible, without trying any new OptiMization settings, we suggest the following changes to your general preferences: 1. Open the OptiMem control panel (Heads-up window) and click the traffic-light button to open the OptiMem Settings application. 2. From the Edit menu, select Preferences. 3. In the Preferences window, click (to turn off) the two options labeled: "Auto-Open OptiMem Heads-up! When System Restarts" and "Automatically OptiMize All New Applications." * NEW DIALOG BOX WHEN AUTOMATICALLY OPTIMIZING NEW APPLICATIONS When OptiMem RAM Charger gives notice that a new application is to be opened OptiMized, a new dialog box is used to provide more flexibility. The notification window now lets the user choose between a Better and Safer OptiMization level„or None at all„to use with the new application. The Safer level uses the application's preferred size for a better chance of successful operation. The Better level uses the most beneficial OptiMization Method and a minimum sized Initial Memory Block in attempting to save more memory. The Quit button aborts launching of the application. If the computer is unattended, or a button is not clicked within two minutes, the notice is automatically canceled and the application is opened without being OptiMized. * OPTIMEM SETTINGS WIZARD If you wish to adjust the OptiMization settings for an application, OptiMem RAM Charger now has a Settings Wizard that helps you get started in the right direction. It observes the memory use of an application while you use it. After you quit, the Wizard reports what it found to help you make effective adjustments. To use the Settings Wizard, open the OptiMem Settings window (click the go-light button in the Heads-up window, if it is open) and select the application you wish to monitor. Then launch the application. All the while you use the application, the Wizard will observe its memory use. When you quit the application, and return to the OptiMem Settings window, the Wizard will report on the application and suggest adjustments you might wish to make. -------------------------------- Jump and OptiMem are trademarks of Jump Development Group, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders. Copyright © 1995 Jump Development Group, Inc., all rights reserved.