KXStudio FAQ

[briandc]

is the source code for Synth1 available?
otherwise the crash doesn't tell me anything, and there's nothing I can do.
and trying to debug a wine application is hell...

this is why we should not rely on Windows software under Linux. when stuff like this happens it's hard, or sometimes impossible, to fix it.
you'll just have to learn what is safe to do or not (ie, which presets can be used).

Oh. Ok. I didn't know if it was FeSTige, or Wine, or Synth1 that was causing the problem.

I don't know if the source code is available; I do know that there are many people who put out their VST instruments for others to download. All the ones I have are free, so I suppose there is some type of "sharing" between the developments. But I don't know if it's something that can be changed easily.

brian

[briandc]

In the update today there was a /etc/lsb_release file that could be kept or upgraded. I kept it. What's the difference? Would it have changed any settings?


brian

[briandc]

Ok, a quick question about RAM usage:

I start by opening QJack, then the instrument I want to play, and then Audacity. After I make a track, I close the instrument, open another, make a new track, etc. At the end, I close everything, QJack last.

Sometimes I run "top" in the terminal to see what's using what, etc. I see that at the start of the session, I'm using little RAM. But by the end of the session, I'm using all my RAM, even after everything is closed.

Should I re-log-in in order to free up the RAM? Or reboot? (At the moment, I have only Firefox and QJack open, but RAm usage is almost 4GB!)

Thanks!
brian

[briandc]

Ok, a quick question about RAM usage:

I start by opening QJack, then the instrument I want to play, and then Audacity. After I make a track, I close the instrument, open another, make a new track, etc. At the end, I close everything, QJack last.

Sometimes I run "top" in the terminal to see what's using what, etc. I see that at the start of the session, I'm using little RAM. But by the end of the session, I'm using all my RAM, even after everything is closed.

Should I re-log-in in order to free up the RAM? Or reboot? (At the moment, I have only Firefox and QJack open, but RAm usage is almost 4GB!)

Unless some application is consuming that much RAM, this is a known linux feature afaik.
The memory used by applications is not completely free'd, as there's no need for it. It will be re-used later in case you start the same apps as before, thus making it start faster.
When you get out of memory, the older unused one will be used.

I think this is correct, although I'm not 100% sure. Still, it kinda works like this.

I see.
Yes, in fact, I upped my RAM from 2Gb to 4Gb, but I think 2Gb is probably sufficient for recording/playing, especially since I prefer to close things once I finish using them.

Thanks falkTX.

brian

[briandc]

Someone on gearsluts.com was asking if I had tried OpenOctave. I see from the website openoctave.org that the repository has been created. Can I go ahead and add it?

brian

[briandc]

Someone on gearsluts.com was asking if I had tried OpenOctave. I see from the website openoctave.org that the repository has been created. Can I go ahead and add it?

brian

Yes, sure, I maintain that repository.
Thing is, openoctave development has stopped.

And I must warn you, they can be very hard to deal at times...
(example of irc chat just a few days ago: http://kxstudio.sourceforge.net/Paste/repo/DLxTl )

Yikes..

-Of course, we all need vacations or a break sometimes.. --it's just that some don't realize how much they need it!

brian

[Thad E Ginathom]

I think this is correct, although I'm not 100% sure. Still, it kinda works like this.

Yes, I think it does work like this. People have a thing about keeping their memory empty ... then why did they buy it!

If Linux/Unix really needs more memory, it will be swapping memory out to disk. Even this it may do just to be on the safe side!

[briandc]

I think this is correct, although I'm not 100% sure. Still, it kinda works like this.

Yes, I think it does work like this. People have a thing about keeping their memory empty ... then why did they buy it!

If Linux/Unix really needs more memory, it will be swapping memory out to disk. Even this it may do just to be on the safe side!

So true...
I probably didn't to upgrade from 2GB to 4... oh well.. at least now I know better how memory is used!

brian

[brummer]

Ok, a quick question about RAM usage:

I start by opening QJack, then the instrument I want to play, and then Audacity. After I make a track, I close the instrument, open another, make a new track, etc. At the end, I close everything, QJack last.

Sometimes I run "top" in the terminal to see what's using what, etc. I see that at the start of the session, I'm using little RAM. But by the end of the session, I'm using all my RAM, even after everything is closed.

Should I re-log-in in order to free up the RAM? Or reboot? (At the moment, I have only Firefox and QJack open, but RAm usage is almost 4GB!)

Unless some application is consuming that much RAM, this is a known linux feature afaik.
The memory used by applications is not completely free'd, as there's no need for it. It will be re-used later in case you start the same apps as before, thus making it start faster.
When you get out of memory, the older unused one will be used.

I think this is correct, although I'm not 100% sure. Still, it kinda works like this.

No, if a application didn't free up the used RAM, it's a bug. This kind of bug is known as MEM LEAK.
It's not possible to use this RAM again when the application starts again, because the app needs a pointer to the reserved RAM. So this RAM is lost for the session.
Only loaded shared library’s, which also use RAM by the way, could be reused when loaded.

You could free your RAM with the following command as root (sudo)

Code: Select all

sync; echo 3 | sudo tee /proc/sys/vm/drop_caches

[Thad E Ginathom]

Well, despite quite a few years of Unix system admin, I'm very rusty, had brain cells destroyed by using W-XP for ten years before returning to LInux, and generally out of date, so I am not contradicting you, and feel free to correct me, but...

I agree with you about application not freeing up memory: that is a bug. Does the system have no method of cleaning up memory belonging to no-longer-running processes?

What I think I remember from my AIX days is that the system itself, rather than any application, maintains a lot of stuff in memory just to save it from reading it off the disk again. It can't tell you are only going to run a program once. When it needs that memory, though, it will recover and reuse it.

As you can tell --- I'm pretty vague about this

[brummer]

Memory reservation is handled by pointers, they are part of the running instance of a application and created when a application reserve memory. So, to get access to the reserved mem, you need this exact pointer. When you close the application, the pointer will destroyed, and you haven't any chance to access the reserved memory again. There is nothing the system can do about that.
A clean written application wouldn't leave a bit in the mem when closed. In some cases, that isn't possible, then we spoke from a mem leak. But as a developer you must try to keep that leaks as small as possible.

Other than that, is the use of shared library’s, they are handled by the system, they will be keep in memory as long the memory allow that, they will reused, when needed, and they will unload(swapped) when the memory get to full.
The command I have post above will simply flush the memory and remove all unused reservations including loaded shared library’s which ain’t in use.

[briandc]

Does all this have anything to do with apps that are "sleeping" or "zombies" or "orphans?"

And, that line of command that should wipe the memory clean... shouldn't every app have that line in it for when its closed?

Just curious..

brian

[brummer]

Does all this have anything to do with apps that are "sleeping" or "zombies" or "orphans?"

Sure, apps that "sleep" didn't give there memory free, as well as "zombies", which are didn't clean closed apps.
I didn't know what you mean by orphan apps?

And, that line of command that should wipe the memory clean... shouldn't every app have that line in it for when its closed?

No, there are much easier and cleaner solutions for applications to clean up after themselves. It's a question of design. Simply any reservation needs a corresponding free call, that's all. Linux, for example provide vallgrind to locate mem leaks in applications, so that they could easy repaired (if you have access to the source).
Also, like I said, this command needs root privileges witch most apps hopefully didn't have. Also, it is a system wide clean up, no application should do that ever, except it call itself "RAM-ERASER" or so.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Applications using memory is one thing, but there is a heap of stuff that the kernel caches, and can happily look after.

[brummer]

Applications using memory is one thing, but there is a heap of stuff that the kernel caches, and can happily look after.

Sorry, Thad, but I have no idea what the hell you talk about. As a developer, I know how Linux systems handle mem usage. All, the kernel keep in mem is shared library’s. It is simply not possible to keep anything in mem for reuse, when a application is stopped. Therefore, you must have a running daemon of the application which gives the pointers to the "what ever you mean is keep in RAM", ad that must coded in the application itself. I guess that this impression comes to you, because Linux make heavy use of the shared lib technology, therefor many applications start up faster when they are started the 2. time in a session.
But that have nothing to do with any application specific stuff, which the kernel keep anywhere in RAM to reuse it, for the case that the user decide to start the app again.