Eric Martz wrote: >Here are the results of my testing of my Jmol Tutorial-Authoring >Template, which supports 1, 2, 3 or 4 Jmols per "view button". > >I certainly hope not to have to ask users of a Tutorial to open their >java console and orce garbage collection. So I didn't do that. Nor do >I want them to have to increase their java memory, since that is >rather fussy, so I am using default java memory levels. > > > garbage collection is automatic in Java -- you never have to do it or tell anyone to do it. The only reason to do it here is to get a better reading on how Java is using memory. But even then, my understanding is that you can't manage these numbers.
>All tests are with the current versions of Java and browsers. > >All reports of memory used are from Jmol's reporting. > >All tests used the same smallish molecule, 1d66, 150 Kb PDB file uncompressed. > >------------- >Windows (98), Firefox (95 Mb max memory): > >Reloading the same small molecule (1 Jmol) started at 8 Mb and >plateaued at 18 Mb. >But when I changed to 2 Jmols, it climbed to 21 Mb. Then when I >changed back to 1 Jmol, it climbed to 35 Mb. Back to 2 Jmols, climbed >to 37 Mb, then plateaued. Now I changed to 4 Jmols, and it started at >40 Mb and (after 5 reloads) climbed to 95 Mb. Although it said 95 Mb >total and 95 Mb maximum, it also said 27 Mb free (go figure). My >recollection is that it continued to work, but I may have forgotten >to note if it stopped displaying molecules on further reloads (sorry!). > >Thus, I think there is a java memory problem on Windows, but I >haven't tried to repeat this in XP or Vista. > > > I don't think so. Java is really masterful in its use of memory. I think what you are seeing is that Java expands as needed, and doesn't go back down unless it has to. Some people have reported that once an application is given a memory allocation, that's it -- it can never give it back, and that may be a feature of Windows, but not a bug in Java. >-------------- >OSX Leopard, Safari (95 Mb max memory): > >10 reloads of 1 Jmol gradually climbed from 12 Mb to 95 Mb. After 4 >more reloads with "95 Mb total", the free Mb showed 0! At this point, >a reload causes Jmol to start counting up "loading Jmol applet" >indefinitely, and the molecule never appears. > > > That's a problem. >Quitting the browser (which dismissed Java) seems to reset memory so >you can start over. Too bad if we have to ask users to do that in the >middle of a tutorial! > > > Right. My testing suggests that there is no memory leak in Jmol, so I believe this must have to do with the browser. >Thus, I think the java memory problem is rather severe on Safari/OSX. >Using a moderately large tutorial that involved some 2-jmol >comparisions and several molecules could easily run out of memory. >Certainly my existing, partially completed JTAT Demo tutorial already >runs out of memory if you simply visit each page, even though it uses >only 2 PDB files -- because it goes from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 jmols, back >to 1, and then to 2 with different molecules -- after other chapters >all of which use 1 jmol. > > > I'm sure that's quite frustrating after all the work you've put into those pages. It's unfortunate. >---------------- >OSX Leopard, Firefox: > >Here, Jmol reported "64 Mb maximum"! And it ran out of memory more easily. > >-Eric > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------- >SF.Net email is sponsored by: >Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. >It's the best place to buy or sell services >for just about anything Open Source. >http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace >_______________________________________________ >Jmol-users mailing list >Jmol-users@lists.sourceforge.net >https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jmol-users > > -- Robert M. Hanson Professor of Chemistry St. Olaf College Northfield, MN http://www.stolaf.edu/people/hansonr If nature does not answer first what we want, it is better to take what answer we get. -- Josiah Willard Gibbs, Lecture XXX, Monday, February 5, 1900 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- SF.Net email is sponsored by: Check out the new SourceForge.net Marketplace. It's the best place to buy or sell services for just about anything Open Source. http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;164216239;13503038;w?http://sf.net/marketplace _______________________________________________ Jmol-users mailing list Jmol-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/jmol-users
