1. Mavis Fesselmeyer's Avatar
    I updated to 4.5 Wednesday, and dont know if its that or slacker, but my battery wears down faster now


    edited....I think Im speaking of 2 different issues (mem leak vs. batery drain) but still would like to know!
    Last edited by jenniferrichalle; 02-13-09 at 03:51 PM.
    02-13-09 03:46 PM
  2. uncheels23's Avatar
    Slacker could cause battery issues if its left running for awhile. And to monitor your memory check options/status regularly and look at file free
    02-13-09 03:49 PM
  3. amazinglygraceless's Avatar
    I have run Slacker for as much a 3 hours continuously and have
    seen no appreciable effect on my battery. This is while semding
    and receiving email, BBM's and a bit of web surfing.

    As to memory leaks. This is one of the single most overused and
    ridiculous terms (aside from "my berry") used here and elsewhere.

    There is no such thing as a memory leak. Any loss of memory
    is not because of a flaw in the OS. It is almost always the
    result of what the user is or is not doing.
    Last edited by amazinglygraceless; 02-13-09 at 03:57 PM.
    02-13-09 03:54 PM
  4. Tremortality's Avatar
    I hit shift alt H to look at my file free but the other way will work too. As uncheels said slacker as well as many other apps will/may run the battery down quicker. GPS will do it fast - I use mine alot, thank goodness for car chargers
    02-13-09 03:54 PM
  5. Branta's Avatar
    There is no such thing as a memory leak. Any loss of memory
    is not because of a flaw in the OS. It is almost always the
    result of what the user is or is not doing.
    Oh how I wish that was true. As a programmer and long time field tester in the world of Windows I see this as a misleading over simplification.

    Agreed, most of the memory problems encountered by BB users are *not* in the OS, which seems to be remarkably stable. A large proportion of the percieved problems we see discussed here could be better described as "operator error" but a small proportion (probably a few percent ?) are genuine memory leaks due to poor programming in (usually third party) software.
    02-13-09 05:33 PM
  6. amazinglygraceless's Avatar
    Oh how I wish that was true. As a programmer and long time field tester in the world of Windows I see this as a misleading over simplification.

    Agreed, most of the memory problems encountered by BB users are *not* in the OS, which seems to be remarkably stable. A large proportion of the percieved problems we see discussed here could be better described as "operator error" but a small proportion (probably a few percent ?) are genuine memory leaks due to poor programming in (usually third party) software.
    Branta, I agree. That is why I used the operator "almost always". I don't deny
    that they exist, my point simply is that most users blame the device, OS,
    ancillary software rather than acknowledging or realizing the problem starts
    with them as users.
    02-13-09 05:36 PM
  7. Branta's Avatar
    I updated to 4.5 Wednesday, and dont know if its that or slacker, but my battery wears down faster now


    edited....I think Im speaking of 2 different issues (mem leak vs. batery drain) but still would like to know!
    Yes, they are two completely unlinked issues.

    If you suspect a particular application is draining battery simply unload it for a day or two and see if the problems resolves. Then put it back and see if the problem reappears. Duplicate your testing before making a firm conclusion.

    Going back to the original question... (Assuming for discussion a single task system so we can avoid the complication of shared memory and background activity from other tasks)

    The user will see available / unallocated memory reduce by <some value> when a program is launched. When the program is correctly terminated it should release all the memory it borrowed, and the system's available memory should be back to the original value. A memory leak occurs when the application fails to release all the memory, and some remains marked as allocated - no longer available, and the free memory reduces slightly. Executing the same program a second, third, fourth, etc time will see a similar retention of memory and reduction in the available free memory. This would be a true memory leak, and it is always the result of a programming bug.

    However the situation is a little more complex in the BlackBerry OS, where there is multitasking and free memory is dual use with some applications (like email or contacts) taking a variable allocation from memory to store persistent data. This is a deliberate design strategy, not a memory leak but it does make it more difficult to work out what is happening. Of course it is possible for an app which uses memory for designed storage to also have a memory leak with unintended retention of allocated memory.
    02-13-09 05:45 PM
  8. Branta's Avatar
    @AG ...

    Yes, it's strange how users assume memory and storage made from elastic, and they are puzzled when they can't store nineteen free games installed, two full CDs of misic, a video DVD, the last year of email, three months of twitter, and phone/email for everyone they ever knew.
    02-13-09 05:58 PM
  9. raskal1130's Avatar
    @AG ...

    Yes, it's strange how users assume memory and storage made from elastic, and they are puzzled when they can't store nineteen free games installed, two full CDs of misic, a video DVD, the last year of email, three months of twitter, and phone/email for everyone they ever knew.
    Hahaha. I completely Agree Branta .
    02-13-09 06:28 PM
  10. amazinglygraceless's Avatar
    @AG ...

    Yes, it's strange how users assume memory and storage made from elastic, and they are puzzled when they can't store nineteen free games installed, two full CDs of misic, a video DVD, the last year of email, three months of twitter, and phone/email for everyone they ever knew.
    You really have to put up a disclaimer about drinking liquids and the hazard
    posed to ones monitor before you post something like that again
    02-13-09 06:33 PM
  11. dave_sz's Avatar
    If you have a BB then you have a memory leak. Simple as that. You can minimize it but you can't prevent it.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    02-14-09 03:23 PM
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