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memory

Keywords: general
                        Memory usage information
The MacAnova "workspace", (all variables and macros; see topic
'workspace'), "resides" in memory (RAM) and not on your hard disk.

You can use keyword phrase size:T on list() to get information on the
amount of memory used by individual variables and the total used by all
variables and internal MacAnova storage.  This does not include the
memory required for the program itself nor, in a windowed version,
memory associated with windows and graphs.  See list().

memoryinfo() returns a vector summarizing several aspects of memory
usage.  See memoryinfo() for details.

                        Not enough memory problem
Because RAM is a finite resource, you may sometimes be unable to carry
out a computation because there is no room for intermediate and/or final
results.  When this happens you get a message similar to the following:
   ERROR: Not enough memory.  Try deleting variables

When this happens, use delete() to get rid of the largest variables you
can do without.  If you really need to keep them, use save() or
asciisave() to save some or all of your variables on disk before
deleting them.
  Cmd> save("myvars.sav", x, y, residplot:LASTPLOT)

  Cmd> delete(x, y, LASTPLOT)

                           Other work arounds
You can free up memory used to store information related to the most
recent GLM command such as regress() or anova() by
  Cmd> delete(STRMODEL)
This will make certain functions such as secoefs() and modelinfo()
unavailable until after another GLM command.

In Windowed versions, memory can sometimes be made available by closing
unneeded graphics and/or command/output windows.

                         Comparison of versions
The amount of memory available for individual variables and the entire
workspace differs between versions, primarily because of differences in
operating systems.

All versions have no effective limit on the size of variables other than
the availability of memory on your computer.

The Macintosh classic (OS 9) version runs in its own memory "partition".
When MacAnova is launched, its partition is allocated a specific amount
of space for program and data and MacAnova cannot exceed the limit, even
if a lot more memory is installed.  When the limit is, say, 1000 KB
(1 KB is 1024 bytes), then MacAnova has N KB for variables, where,
because memory is needed for the program, N in the neighborhood of 600.
When the limit is 2500 KB = (1000 + 1500) KB, then MacAnova has N + 1500
KB of memory for its workspace.  When the partition is allocated 5000 KB
= (1000 + 4000) KB, available memory is N + 4000 KB, and so on.

                    Changing Macintosh partition size
As distributed, the Mac OS 9 version of MacAnova has a default maximum
partition size of 5000 KB.  However, it is quite easy to change the
limit from the Finder.  Open the folder where MacAnova is installed and
select the MacAnova icon with the mouse.  Select Get Info on the File
menu to display a dialog box containing a 'Show:' popup menu on which
you should select 'Memory'.  This will display a Memory Requirements
panel.  (In older systems, the Memory Requirements panel may be
immediately displayed by Get Info.)  Type a new number in the "Suggested
size" box to set a new maximum partition size and then close the dialog
box.  That's all there is to it.

                            Cross references
See also topics delete(), save(), asciisave(), 'workspace'


Gary Oehlert 2006-01-30