Other Sites
Re: A Simple (Absurdly) "Fix" For Leopard Spaces Bug
Software Update Issues
re: Interpreting Memory Information
PTH Pasteboard Alternative To Free Mac OS X Multiple Clipboard History App.
Re: Clipper 1.0, Free Mac OS X Multiple Clipboard History App.
Re: A Simple (Absurdly) "Fix" For Leopard Spaces Bug
From appleii7171
Not on my Mac Book with 10.5.2. I just ran into this a few weeks ago, but then I have not been using Spaces that much recently.
Neither the ctrl number keys or arrow key seem to bring it back for me. I though logging out would work, but also does not seem to fix it.
I even want to tie it to a bigger problem, it seems to trigger the refusal to wake from sleep problem when you close the lid - not all the time, but it happened yesterday.
It almost seems that it is tied to certain program combination. I'm really only using Finder, Safari, Textmate and Terminal. I've had it freeze up after only a couple hours of work after a reboot. The only new thing I can think of is using time machine after updating my airport extreme.
Even when I try to restart it wants to stop the restart on every open application saying it will not quit. It is hosed at this point and have to use the terminal to reboot.
Hi;
Ouch! I was sad because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet!
Sorry the Command > number key fix didn't work for you. It still seems to be consistently effective on my G4 PowerBook. I usually have 15 - 25 applications open, and I've never been able to determine a causal connection between a particular application of combination of applications and the Spaces bug. However, Safari is a notorious memory hog, and it might be worth a shot switching to another browser (Firefox 3 beta 5 is getting good reviews for efficient memory management) to see it that helps.
Something that seemed to help a little bit is running a Repair Permissions/chron maintanance scripts and cache dump frequently with OnyX. However, with the Command > number key fix, I have now been able for the first time with Leopard to postpone rebooting to the point that memory disorder and swapfile grinding become intolerable.
Charles
Software Update Issues
From Andrew
Charles,
I installed the last batch of updates from Apple last night and have run into a problem. Neither Mail nor Safari will launch. I'm running 10.4.11 on a Pismo. This is not, of course, a death-defying problem (I prefer other browsers to Safari and I use another e-mail client at home and so could simply install it on this machine, which I use at work). Still, I wonder ... might this portend other problems? Might it be related to a problem with this machine? Have you heard anything about this or a fix?
Best
Andrew
Hi Andrew;
OS 10.4.11 has been running beautifully on both of my Pismos and I have it installed on a second partition of my G4 PowerBook's hard drive as well, but I maintain a strict policy of never, ever, updating Apple software via Software Update, and I pick and choose very carefully as to which updates I download as standalone installers to run with the machine offline and preferably after doing a system maintenance cleanup routine with OnyX.
Some folks scoff at this degree of cautiousness, but I have very rarely experienced any post-update problems employing this belt-and-suspenders approach.
I generally avoid system security updates entirely and wait for the next fractional system version update.
Cold comfort after the fact, I'm sure, but you might want to keep it in mind for future consideration.
If you want to try and rectify the current issues, my suggestion would be to do a Repair Permissions/maintenance scripts/caches dump using OnyX or another of the many system maintenance utilities, then download the standalone OS 10.4.11 Combo updater and run it again over your present install. I'm not sure it will work if you've installed the latest security updates on top of 10.4.11, but it's worth a shot.
After any update is released, it's worth a visit to http://www.macfixit.com/ to see what sort of troubles are being reported.
Charles
re: Interpreting Memory Information
From Eric Matthieu
Hi Charles,
In your latest Mailbag I read with interest the discussion you had with Marshall on memory usage, etc. One of the biggest culprits for hogging memory are browsers. It doesn't take much time - a day or two of surfing the web - for the browsers I prefer, Safari and Camino, to gobble up fairly significant amounts of memory (300MB is not out of the question). Of course, I prefer leaving quite a few tabs open and sometimes more than one window in each, so I'm party to blame. I've tried clearing their respective caches for some relief, but that doesn't work nearly as well as simply restarting the browser. Safari 3.x (and 2.x with ForgetMeNot) allow you to reopen all windows/tabs from your last session, so nothing is lost. Camino can do this too.
What really bugs me is how some programs seem to hold on to part of their memory even after they've been quit. Why they don't release all of the memory they used baffles me. To address this, I've had good luck by simply running the chron scripts manually with something like Maintidget (or automate things by scheduling them with a utility like OnyX). I'm not sure if it's the daily, weekly, or monthly script that deserves credit (although I'd guess daily), but I can honestly report that I regain considerably more free RAM whenever I run all three scripts on the fly and not wait for them to be handled overnight by OS X. Your mileage may vary depending on what apps are in play, and it only takes a few minutes.
Clearing out the caches for Safari 3.1 and Camino 1.5.5 just now regained me about 35MB of RAM. Running all scripts with Maintidget gained me another 70MB or so. If I were to restart both browsers, I'm sure I'd gain another 150-200MB easily. Again, nothing would be lost as both can be restored to their previous state. Even restarting Mail can help regain 20-30MB sometimes. This may not work as well as simply restarting your machine, but that's not always convenient. (What's to blame here? Flash? Java? HTML code? A memory leak an app might have, and what causes that?)
The uptime on my G5 iMac just passed the 7 day mark, and I have had no pageouts according to Activity Monitor. Now I don't pretend to push my machine as hard as you or others might, but my methods seem to work. I like to keep things humming along and I hardly ever let my free RAM get much below 500MB if I can help it (which probably explains why I seldom log any pageouts). That may be a luxury for some, depending on their installed RAM. With 2GB of RAM, I typically run several apps constantly everyday and of course fire up a number of others on occasion. For the most part, I find that I only have to reboot when I've installed an update from Apple that requires it.
FWIW I've encountered a number of machines that aren't kept on overnight and therefore have not benefitted from OS X handling its chron scripts automatically. Each one involves users who don't like to concern themselves with the technical side of things; they just want to use their machines and go about their business. No surprise then that none of them knew about these scripts, or how to run them at their leisure. I would expect most people fall into this camp. While running Maintidget (or whatever) can benefit everyone to some degree, I would especially recommend running the scripts manually for those who shut down their Macs down at the end of the day.
Hope this helps. Maybe give it a try and see what you think.
Eric
2.0 G5 iMac/2GB RAM/10.4.11
Hi Eric;
Thanks for the report, comments and suggestions. Apologies for being so long in getting back to you, but as you've probably noticed, Applelinks has been encountering some serious site issues.
Yes, browsers, particularly Safari, have a bad reputation as memory hogs. Happily, Firefox 3 is reportedly dramatically improved in this department.
I have 1.5 GB of RAM, which was reasonably respectable when I bought this machine two years ago, but not really enough now. I'm going 4 GB when I get my MacIntel. I usually have 15-25 applications open, including several browsers with lots of tabs open, so it's probably a wonderment that my 'Book runs as well as it does!
I will say that Leopard does seem to do a more efficient job of managing memory than Tiger did.
I agree that running the chron scripts manually is a good idea. I use OnyX for that, but there a reports: a gaggle of sustem maintenance utilities.
Charles
Re: Interpreting Memory Information
From Eric Matthieu
Hi Charles,
Good to hear back from you. I hope Applelinks is back to normal soon. Life just isn't the same otherwise.
The one thing I failed to mention before and would like to add: restarting and restoring any browser with multiple tabs will take much longer on dial-up. How much longer will depend on how many tabs and what sites are in play. Something to consider before trying perhaps, if you're in that boat (and I know you are). With DSL I don't think twice about it.
Eric
Hi Eric;
I hope things are finally back to normal as well.
You're right again, and it is indeed a major consideration, and a big factor in my aversion to rebooting.
However, I've noticed that the Firefox 3 betas seem to reload session restores substantially faster than, say, Opera does. Possibly a more efficient utilization of information from the browser cache? Every little bit helps.
Broadband will hopefully make it here later this year, but I'm not holding my breath (just gritting my teeth).
Charles
PTH Pasteboard Alternative To Free Mac OS X Multiple Clipboard History App.
From Smhearty
I currently use PTH Pasteboard. This program has been around for a while, saves the clipboard through restarts and is free. The program puts a small icon in the menu bar. Using HotKeys, you can also set keyboard shortcuts. All in all, a true winner.
Hi;
I downloaded it and you're absolutely right. It's a great little utility and free too.
http://pth.com/products/pthpasteboard/
Thanks,
Charles
Re: Clipper 1.0, Free Mac OS X Multiple Clipboard History App.
From Montys
CopyPaste puts a very small floating icon on your desktop which opens when you mouse over it. It has many fine optional features and excellent documentation. Please review it.
Hi Montys;
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see what I can do.
Charles
***
Charles W. Moore
Note: Letters to Moore's Mailbag may or may not be published at the editor's discretion. Correspondents' email addresses will NOT be published unless the correspondent specifically requests publication. Letters may be edited for length and/or context.
Opinions expressed in postings to Moore's MailBag are those of the respective correspondents and not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Editor and/or Applelinks management.
If you would prefer that your message not appear in Moore's Mailbag, we would still like to hear from you. Just clearly mark your message "NOT FOR PUBLICATION," and it will not be published.
CM
Tags: Blogs ď MooresMailBag ď
