[comp.sys.mac] =-= W E I R D things-a-going-on !!!! <

david@jc3b21.UUCP (David Quarles) (02/26/90)

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I have an SE/30 with 4 Meg desktop, system 6.03, some inits, etc.

Today after using Layout again and putting Vaccine in my sys. fldr, I
noticed that it was taking an unusually LONG TIME for the screen to
redraw the windows.

I disabled Vaccine to no avail.

When I get info about the Finder from the menubar to show how much is
being used by the different things open, the Available Memory is
fluctuating by 1,2, or 3 K up and down, up and down, every second or so.

This really slows down even the SE/30 and I cannot stop it or figure out
out why.  I have used Layout before to change the fonts in the windows
but I did NOT notice any slowdown on the refreshing of the screen.

ANY IDEAS ????

Please post or Email (will summarize the Email).

Thanks for your help and information.

=-=-= Email: david@jc3b21.UUCP -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Dave =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= EOT

jackiw@cs.swarthmore.edu (Nick Jackiw) (02/27/90)

david@jc3b21.UUCP (David Quarles) writes:
> Today after using Layout again and putting Vaccine in my sys. fldr, I
> noticed that it was taking an unusually LONG TIME for the screen to
> redraw the windows.
> 
> When I get info about the Finder from the menubar to show how much is
> being used by the different things open, the Available Memory is
> fluctuating by 1,2, or 3 K up and down, up and down, every second or so.
> 
> This really slows down even the SE/30 and I cannot stop it or figure out
> out why.  I have used Layout before to change the fonts in the windows
> but I did NOT notice any slowdown on the refreshing of the screen.


This has been discussed before.  What happens is that during the event
loop, Finder purges the font it uses to draw the window, which frees
memory, and then reloads it, realizing its error, which reduces free memory.
This doesn't normally happen with Geneva 9, because this font is in ROM,
i. e. in memory, all the time and cannot be purged. When you use Layout to
switch to some other font, you risk encountering this problem.

A certain fix is to not use custom fonts, even though Finder provides the
ability to do so.  Geneva 9, Geneva 12, and Chicago 12 are all "safe". A
*possible* fix, which I'm not certain will work, but should unless Finder
deviates from usual font management, is:

	1. Start your Mac without Multifinder.
	2. Use Font DA mover to copy the desired Font+Size into the
	   Finder application in the System Folder.
	(In order to get Font DA Mover to display the Finder, you'll have
	to hold down Option while clicking the OPEN button.)
	3. Quit Font DA mover.
	4. Run ResEdit, and open the Finder application from the System Folder.
	5. Locate your FONT resource,  do a Get Info on it, and clear the
	   PURGEABLE checkbox. Note the size of the resource in the upper right
	   corner of the Info window.
	6. Quit ResEdit.

	7. If you run Multifinder regularly, increase the Application Memory
	   Size of the Finder by the size of the font (as noted in step 5).

These steps provide Finder with a version of the font, which--unlike regular
fonts--can no longer be casually deallocated.  


	

--
-----Nicholas Jackiw [jackiw@cs.swarthmore.edu|jackiw@swarthmr.bitnet]-----
"... Then, with an infernal shovel that increases my strength, I dig out of
that inexhaustable mine whole chunks of lice, big as mountains.  I split them
up with an axe and I transport them in the depths of night to city streets."