Q: runaway memory consumption?

[Steve Nanchy]

Has anyone else run into the problem of 'runaway' memory consumption?

Specifically, on an iMac 600mhz, OS 10.3.5, java 1.42, ImageJ 1.33u: if I
start the ImageJ app and opens a memory monitor window it clocks-up memory
at a slow but steady rate with periodic pauses where it frees-up _some_ of
the RAM; but the trendline is always increasing.  Immediately starting up
ij.jar (a copy of it being at the same folder level as the app, so it is
assumed that it's got access to the same pluging/macros/etc.) and opening a
window shows the trendline periodically cycling between approximately 2 and
4 meg as it refreshes.

After about an hour, ij.jar is still bouncing in 2-4 meg while the
application has humped-up to about 50 meg.  No other processes or documents
were running in either case - just one memory monitor window each.  I could
understand the app consuming a bit more memory, since it IS an app; but not
the progressive consumption.

It's not a big bother for me since I normally run ij.jar directly; but I
thought it was a curiosity.  Can anyone else duplicate this behavior (the
memory-thing, NOT the curiosity :P)?

-s-

[audrey karperien]

Hi.  I tried it on a 2.6 GHz PC, XPpro, 1G RAM, IJ1.34s, j1.3 and both stayed around 2.
 
Audrey

Steve Nanchy <[hidden email]> wrote:
Has anyone else run into the problem of 'runaway' memory consumption?

Specifically, on an iMac 600mhz, OS 10.3.5, java 1.42, ImageJ 1.33u: if I
start the ImageJ app and opens a memory monitor window it clocks-up memory
at a slow but steady rate with periodic pauses where it frees-up _some_ of
the RAM; but the trendline is always increasing. Immediately starting up
ij.jar (a copy of it being at the same folder level as the app, so it is
assumed that it's got access to the same pluging/macros/etc.) and opening a
window shows the trendline periodically cycling between approximately 2 and
4 meg as it refreshes.

After about an hour, ij.jar is still bouncing in 2-4 meg while the
application has humped-up to about 50 meg. No other processes or documents
were running in either case - just one memory monitor window each. I could
understand the app consuming a bit more memory, since it IS an app; but not
the progressive consumption.

It's not a big bother for me since I normally run ij.jar directly; but I
thought it was a curiosity. Can anyone else duplicate this behavior (the
memory-thing, NOT the curiosity :P)?

-s-

[Parker Seidel]

Steve,

I think the memory consumption is due to running "Monitor Memory."
I'm running a Imac G5, 2Ghz and also noticed increasing memory, as
well as a difference between the IJ.jar file and the IJ application
when Monitoring the Memory.  Curiously, I looked at the source code
for the Monitor Memory class and there was a note that mentioned the
ability to click on the status bar in the ImageJ window and force the
JVM (java Virtual machine) to garbage collect.  As you may know,
garbage collecting is when the JVM frees the unused memory.  When I
clicked on the status bars in both the IJjar and the application, both
Memory Monitors plummeted back down to less than 1 MB.  It would be
unwise for the Monitor Memory class to automatically garbage collect
because that would undermine its own purpose (to monitor the memory
usage of other activities, I think).

However, this does not explain the difference between the IJ.jar file
and the Application.  I would guess that there is a different type of
JVM running either the IJ.jar or the application.  Each of these JVM
may have different specifications of how frequently they garbage
collect the memory.

Someone with more knowledge on the specifics between running the
IJ.jar and the application may provide a more concrete estimate on
what is happening.

-Parker

On 7/26/05, Steve Nanchy <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Has anyone else run into the problem of 'runaway' memory consumption?
>
> Specifically, on an iMac 600mhz, OS 10.3.5, java 1.42, ImageJ 1.33u: if I
> start the ImageJ app and opens a memory monitor window it clocks-up memory
> at a slow but steady rate with periodic pauses where it frees-up _some_ of
> the RAM; but the trendline is always increasing.  Immediately starting up
> ij.jar (a copy of it being at the same folder level as the app, so it is
> assumed that it's got access to the same pluging/macros/etc.) and opening a
> window shows the trendline periodically cycling between approximately 2 and
> 4 meg as it refreshes.
>
> After about an hour, ij.jar is still bouncing in 2-4 meg while the
> application has humped-up to about 50 meg.  No other processes or documents
> were running in either case - just one memory monitor window each.  I could
> understand the app consuming a bit more memory, since it IS an app; but not
> the progressive consumption.
>
> It's not a big bother for me since I normally run ij.jar directly; but I
> thought it was a curiosity.  Can anyone else duplicate this behavior (the
> memory-thing, NOT the curiosity :P)?
>
> -s-
>