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			<title>MultiFinder: Why System Memory Fluctuates</title><body class="ac-gn-current-support">
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<h1 id="main-title">MultiFinder: Why System Memory Fluctuates</h1>
<div id="abstract">
 
<div id="intro-container"><div class="truncate"><div class="attr SYMPTOMS"><div class="attr TOPIC"><FONT SIZE=4><BR>
Why does the amount of memory used by the System constantly change under<BR>
MultiFinder or System 7? In the &quot;About This Macintosh...&quot; window, the<BR>
System size and Largest Unused Block size fluctuate. <BR>
<BR>
</FONT></div></div> <!--  attr Symptom  --></div> <!--  truncate --></div> <!--  intro-container --><div class="clear"> </div>
 </div>   <!-- abstract end -->
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  <div class="attr SUMMARY">
This happens because of the event-driven operating system.  As various<BR>
events occur, the System may need to load or unload resources through RAM<BR>
to take care of them. Because events happen all the time--even when the<BR>
Macintosh seems to be idle--RAM allocation varies all the time.<BR>
<BR>
You see this fluctuation under System 7 or MultiFinder and not under just<BR>
the Finder (pre-System 7) because of the dynamic RAM allocation. Under<BR>
Finder, all RAM allocation is fixed, whereas in MultiFinder and System 7 a<BR>
given application or resource can request or free up RAM.<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Article Change History:<BR>
13 Sep 1995 - Reviewed for technical accuracy. <BR>
09 Sep 1992 - Revised with additional information.<BR>
<BR>
Support Information Services <BR></div>
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<div class="mod-date">Published Date: Feb 18, 2012</div>
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