NOTE: this software is for Classic Mac OS (eg: OS 9) and cannot be used on Mac OS X.
Nisus Writer Classic is no longer for sale. This page is only for archival purposes.
Question:
I keep running out of memory. How can I optimize Nisus Writer's RAM usage?
Answer:
If you have a limited amount of RAM, you may notice that you can't use
the Table Tool or Equation Tool, that Text-to-Speech doesn't work, or that
you get frequent "Out of Memory" messages. Here are some tips to make the most of what you have:
Trim down your system.
You can make more room available for Nisus
Writer by reducing the amount of RAM used by your system. Start by disabling
any non-critical extensions, control panels, or fonts. Then go to your Memory
Control Panel and make sure the disk cache is set to the lowest possible amount (32k).
If you are using ATM,
make sure the font cache is set to a low number, or disable it entirely.
Tune up Nisus Writer.
A number of
Nisus Writer's preferences directly
affect RAM usage. In the Editing Preferences dialog (under the Preferences
submenu of the File Menu), make sure you UNcheck "Keep Application in Memory,"
and set your Undos to a low number, like 10 or 15. As you work, periodically clear
Undos (option-command-Z) and Clipboards (option-Show Clipboard on the Edit Menu) to
mark memory as purgeable. Avoid using Text-to-Speech, the graphics tools, and the
Layout Page if you can. Limit the size of your default macro and glossary files, which
load into memory automatically when you launch the program. Also, set Nisus Writer's
preferred memory partition to a lower number (say, 1800 or 2000k) using the Finder's Get
Info command. If you need to use the Table Tool or Equation Tool, try reducing their
preferred memory to the "Minimum" size in the Get Info dialog.
Get rid of unnecessary modules.
If you're not going to be using the Balloon
Help, Floating Tool Bars, or Text-to-Speech features, you can trash the corresponding
modules from your Nisus Writer Tools folder (which is inside the Nisus Writer 5.0 Folder).
Launch Nisus Writer first. If you
launch Nisus Writer before your other
applications, you'll prevent problems that may occur later on as memory becomes
fragmented and you can't use all the memory you seem to have available.
Try
RAM Doubler.
This $50 program from Connectix makes your computer think it has twice as much RAM as it
really does. While it's slower than real RAM, it's also much cheaper, and may be the most
economical solution for many people.
Turn on virtual memory.
If your computer supports virtual memory (in general,
machines with a PowerPC, 68030, or 68040 chip or a 68020 with an added PMMU), you can turn
it on for some additional simulated RAM. However, we recommend doing this ONLY in cases of
dire need, because the performance of Nisus Writer will slow to a crawl.
Buy more real RAM.
We hate to suggest this... but this is the most thorough
and lasting solution to low-memory problems.
Question:
When I clear Undos or Clipboards, that's supposed to free up a lot of memory. But the memory indicator on my Info Bar doesn't show any increase. Is it broken?
Answer:
It is, in fact, very accurate--it's just not telling you what you expect it to. Think of it this way. Create a big file and drag it to your Trash can. Does the amount of free space on your hard drive increase? No. But when you Empty Trash, the file is deleted, and more space becomes available. Nisus Writer treats RAM the same way. When you clear Undos or Clipboards, it
marks the portion of your RAM they were occupying as "purgeable."
The next time you need that extra memory for something, it automatically does "garbage collection," meaning the memory is freed up for the other use. The memory indicator doesn't tell you how much will be available after that happens, but it does tell you how much is actually free at any given moment.