Is LR4 Resource Hungry?

I am running Windows 7 x64 with 8GB of memory and an i7 processor and I have given Lightroom a 20GB cache, so I am a bit surprised that Lightroom 4 appears sluggish. For example, I made a number of adjustments to a photo and then tried to move around it whilst it was scaled at 1:1. At first the movement was jerky and then Lightroom crashed. I repeated the process and it crashed again. However, I reset the photo and moving it around was ok without any adjustments. I do not have any such problems with Lightroom 3.6. I also notice my computer's cooling system activating when using Lightroom 4, when it hardly seems to activate at all with Lightroom 3.6. Perhaps Lightroom 4 appears resource hungry because (as a beta version) it is not complete?

What video card do you have and how much memory does it have.
That computer system cooling you are activating is probably your video card heating up.
LR 4 is going to severly test some peoples video cards. Do you have a gadget that can track its GPU usage?
Jim Michaelsen

Similar Messages

Why is the Java runtime resource hungry and slow?

Hi,
First of all let me make it clear that I'm not here to bash Java. I'm a big fan of the technology. In fact I believe in its potential as it is the only true 100% cross-platform runtime. Now that it has been open sourced, it has just made me happier,
However, the only factor which has been hurting me is that the Java runtime is resource hungry and has long startup times.
Consider a Adobe Flash .swf file with lot of animation, it is opened by the Flash player in a snap. On the other hand Java applets (with same amount of graphics) take several seconds to load even from the local machine and also require much more memory. With the introduction of Flex flash might become a platform of choice for RIA. Java FX has made matters worse. The loading time of Java FX is much higher than that applets themselves.
The problem with Flash Player is it not 100% platform independent. For example the latest version of player was released for Linux several months after it was released for Windows and Mac OS X.
Is there any way to make the Java runtime use less memory and start faster? If this can be achieved I feel that applets are a better choice over Flex for building RIAs. After all appearance is not everything and definitely Java is a much more robust platform than Flash.

I'm running it on Kubuntu Linux. Even on this Flash Player is much faster at loading embedded Flash animations than JRE loads applets.
Seriously, if alone the speed of loading applets can be increased, the world will have an extremely robust platform for RIAs.

Resource hungry query

Friends
I had used the following query for an update statement:
UPDATE target_table tar
   SET (tar.flag1, tar.flag2, tar.flag3, tar.flag4, tar.flag5, tar.flag6,
        tar.flag7, tar.flag8, tar.flag9, tar.flag10, tar.flag11, tar.flag12,
        tar.flag13, tar.flag14, tar.flag15) =
          (SELECT src.flag1, src.flag2, src.flag3, src.flag4, src.flag5,
                  src.flag6, src.flag7, src.flag8, src.flag9, src.flag10,
                  src.flag11, src.flag12, src.flag13, src.flag14, src.flag15
             FROM src_table src
            WHERE src.date_col = tar.date_col AND src.cust_id = tar.cust_id)
WHERE EXISTS (
              SELECT 'x'
                FROM src_table src
               WHERE src.date_col = tar.date_cole
                     AND src.cust_id = tar.cust_id)But I got a message from our DBAs that this query is very resource hungry causing outage & job abends. When I did explain plan for this query, I got the following output:
UPDATE STATEMENT
UPDATE target_table
PX COORDINATOR
   PX SEND QC (RANDOM) :TQ10002
    HASH JOIN RIGHT SEMI BUFFERED
     PX RECEIVE
      PX SEND HASH :TQ10000
       PX BLOCK ITERATOR
        INDEX FAST FULL SCAN src_table_index
     PX RECEIVE
      PX SEND HASH :TQ10001
       PX BLOCK ITERATOR
        TABLE ACCESS FULL target_table
TABLE ACCESS BY INDEX ROWID src_table
   INDEX RANGE SCAN src_table_indexNow if I change this query to the following:
UPDATE target_table tar
   SET (tar.flag1, tar.flag2, tar.flag3, tar.flag4, tar.flag5, tar.flag6,
        tar.flag7, tar.flag8, tar.flag9, tar.flag10, tar.flag11, tar.flag12,
        tar.flag13, tar.flag14, tar.flag15) =
          (SELECT src.flag1, src.flag2, src.flag3, src.flag4, src.flag5,
                  src.flag6, src.flag7, src.flag8, src.flag9, src.flag10,
                  src.flag11, src.flag12, src.flag13, src.flag14, src.flag15
             FROM src_table src
            WHERE src.date_col = tar.date_col AND src.cust_id = tar.cust_id)And then I do explain plan, I get the following results:
UPDATE STATEMENT
UPDATE target_table
PX COORDINATOR
   PX SEND QC (RANDOM) :TQ10000
    PX BLOCK ITERATOR
     TABLE ACCESS FULL target_table
TABLE ACCESS BY INDEX ROWID src_table
   INDEX RANGE SCAN src_table_indexDoes that mean that using 'where exists' is not a good option?
Thanks

Tuning updates is very tricky - especially those with subquries!
You're performaing a full index scan on the source table but a full table scan on the target table. I could not tell the query cardinality from the postings, but since the parallel query option is being employed I'll assume a large amount of data is being processed.
Is the full table scan on the target table necessary? Would an index on the WHERE clause columns from the target table prevent this and use fewer system resources to perform the update?
You are also reading the source data twice, for each subquery. This may be necessary :( ; maybe Karthick's MERGE can avoid this. You're doing a full index scan against the source table, which is similar to a full table scan except you are only reading the keys from the index - better, but like a FTS you are readling all of the rows. Is this necessary?
WHERE EXISTS() is usually a good option, although not when a full table scan is performed. You need a way to avoid the FTS.
The parallel query option can do one of three things: help performance, hurt performance, or do nothing. It can help with the full table and full index scans you are doing so it may be helping. How much data are are you updating (bytes and rows)?
If you have the licence partitioned tables might help performance by partitioning both the source and target tables by the same partition key. In that case SQL can match smaller sets of data (the partitions) and run more efficiently. This might help if you are processing a lot of data - as you seem to be.
Good luck!
Edited by: riedelme on Jan 5, 2010 8:04 AM

Resource Hungry !?

I just noticed my hard drive thrashing away after opening SQL Developer (SD) for Windows XP. Ah, thrashing of the page file I thought, so I opened up task manager and noticed SD was consuming 271MB of RAM and 305MB of Virtual Memory.
I know it is Java, but I use several other feature rich Java apps and compared to SD they are tiny. SD's memory usage seems really excessive, especially as this is prior to having any SQL Developer tabs open yet! Any reasons for this?
Paul

From earlier posts, the memory problems are related to how the Code Insight is working in the current release. See Re: Memory Issues or similar other posts.

System no longer boots

Hello all. System will not boot and before I go spending more money on pointless items, I was hoping to get some feedback, please.
Here are current specs on system:
MSI K8T Neo2 FIR - AMI BIOS 9.4 Athlon 64 X2 4600+ PIB
Antec NeoPower 480 +5V/38A +12V1/18A +12V2/15A +3.3V/30A
Kingston Value Ram 2x512 Matched Pair DDR400
CD-R/RW & DVD+RW WD 250g IDE
BFG 7800GS OC Sony SDM-HS94P 19" LCD
Audigy 2 XP Pro
The upgrades on this system include the X2 and the graphics card. I know, I know, the power supply may very well be the issue, but please let me detail what's happened and if everyone still thinks the PSU is it, I'll go for a new one.
Everything ran fine for at least a month. Most resource hungry app I run is probably EQII. Towards the end of last week I had a couple of complete crashes during game play and then on Saturday morning the system failed to boot. I do have power as the case fans, CPU fan and GPU fan and various lights do go on. It seemed like a hard drive failure to me, so I got a new one (Best Buy! OUCH! the price we pay if we want it that day) and it started up great. I got windows loaded on the new drive, updated everything and was playing and working fine. This was Saturday night and Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon...not happening. I'm back to a blank screen and lots of fans whirring and a few lights flashing but nothing else. So, my questions:
1. Is it possible that I somehow blew a second hard drive?
2. Was it not the hard drive at all but something else?
3. Will a new PSU solve the problem and will my original hard drive still work?
4. Did Amelia Earhardt get abducted by aliens?
Thank you for your time and patience.
MEM

Hans;
Thank you for the reply. Say hiya to Amelia for me. Does this mean you're an alien?
Ok, I tried using bootable CD and no go.
I don't really have a simpler graphics card around to try that. So that test may not happen.
I can try with one dimm when I get home (I'm at work atm.)
I also thought about putting the drive into another system and will try that also later today or tomorrow morning.
D-Bracket: I will have to watch that again. It really didn't make sense to me as the lights went through a lot of the steps then came to a halt at what I think was BIOS Sign on. Someone did suggest to me that I might have a virus, which may be why the second hard drive failed eventually. But I'm not sure about that and not sure what can be done about that unless clearing CMOS would take care of it.
So, any new thoughts?
MEM

BI Publisher Cluster Deployment Issue

Hi All,
I have installed BI Publisher in two nodes A and B (stand alone basic). During scheduler configuration, I have checked cluster option. A load balancer has been configured to point to these two nodes.The data source is file system and location is on network file server.
I have a java program that call BI Publisher webservice and submit the job for scheduling. The java program points to load balancer ip. Currently I am facing two issues as below:
1. When I call BI Publisher webservice to schedule the job, I can see that the job is scheduled through one node only
2. Processing the scheduled job (report generation is distributed into two nodes. But this distribution is not even. If I shedule 5 jobs, Node A is executing one job while the other node executes reamining 4 jobs. Thus I have noticed that Node A remains idle after completing the job till the other node completes the report generation
Do I need to do make any changes/ perform additional configuration so that the job is distributed among the nodes evenly.
Your help will be highlu appreciated
Thanks
Angshuman

First, make sure you've got enough machine resources as BIEE11g is resources hungry.
Next, after installation you should have icons to start BIEE11g (try windows version as it is easier to start up).
Run the startBIEE11g script and it will take some minutes, be patient. Once you get all processes running
then you can try to login.
Take a look at my post:
http://oraclebiblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/starting-and-stopping-biee-from-command.html
Good luck
regards
Jorge

MBP 15" Retina Battery Life Problems

Hello all!
I recently got the highest end MBP 15" Retina and it runs AMAZINGLY fast, but the only problem I'm having with is the battery life.
For example, right now, at 100% charge, the predicted time is 4 hours and 35 minutes, but it's plummeting very quickly; I don't think I'll get more than 1 or 2 hours.
On the website, the average predicted battery life is almost 8 hours. I understand that the numbers on Apple's website may not be exact, but I feel like getting a quarter or even half of the advertised battery life suggests there is something wrong as well? o-o
I'm not doing anything intensive on my computer either; just simple web browsing and chatting on Skype.
I've searched the internet for solutions, and I've already tried resetting PRAM AND NVRAM settings, I've turned off Bluetooth, and checked off all of the Power Saver settings in Preferences.
My battery's condition is "Normal" since I recently purchased it.
I'm curious if anyone has a solution to this problem? (To give an idea of how fast the battery is draining, I started writing this post with 100% battery, and now it's at 98% several minutes later)
If anyone has any advice, it'd be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advanced!

puzzledsean wrote:
I'm not doing anything intensive on my computer either; just simple web browsing and chatting on Skype.
Skype is one of the most resource hungry application that one may use. It will drain the battery very quickly. When using it, connect your MBP to the power adapter.
Read the Apple hype regarding battery run time. The operative term is 'UP TO' not will achieve 8 hours run time. In the 'real world' conditions, battery run time will be determined by the number and type of applications you are using. If you are just text editing, you may very well get 8 hours from from the battery, but certainly not with Skype games or video.
Ciao.

Failed installation of Avast

Trying to install the latest Avast on a MBA running 10.9.5. No sign of any problems. Machine running fine. I had installed Avast on another machine of his and it did some good, so he wanted it on his MBAir.
The problem, the installer fails at the final stage with a completely generic message that's no help.
Looking at the console log, lead me to believe a couple things:
- Perhaps it was tripping over a permission problem.
- or perhaps it wasn’t happy that Chrome was not installed.
One specific log line item says (which might be the key if someone can interpret, my Google searches haven't been able to untangle):
"CoreServicesUIAgent: Error: qtn_file_apply_to_path error: Read-only file system"
So, here are the things the DIDN'T solve the problem
1) repaired permissions
2) installed Chrome
3) repaired home permissions
4) restarted
5) turned off Gatekeeper
6) redownloaded installer
7) ran Disk Repair, which led me to booting into Recovery Mode to fix a couple directory structure mismatches.
Any ideas what else it could be tripping up this install?
I don’t have enough experience with Avast to know whether or not this is an “Avast problem”, but I certainly have more experience with installing under Mavericks to say Avast is most likely the culprit here.
I suppose I could give up on Avast and go to ClamAV, but he’s “sold” on Avast. I realize there are other virus protection solutions and I realize there's some debate on whether or not anti-virus software SHOULD be installed on a Mac. Just looking for suggestions on the installation problem itself.
Have submitted a ticket to Avast, but only a canned response so far.

Non-Apple "anti-virus" products are worthless and will prevent your Mac from working as designed. Some such products are malicious. "Avast" is not the worst of them, but it comes close.
Nothing in the world can prevent you from succumbing from "phishing" scams.
There will always be threats to your information security associated with using any Internet - connected communications tool:
You can mitigate those threats by following commonsense practices
Delegating that responsibility to software is an ineffective defense
Assuming that any product will protect you from those threats is a hazardous attitude that is likely to result in neglecting point #1 above.
OS X already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. Keep it that way with software updates from Apple.
A much better question is "how should I protect my Mac":
Never install any product that claims to "clean up", "speed up", "optimize", "boost" or "accelerate" your Mac; to "wash" it, "tune" it, or to make it "shiny". Those claims are absurd.Such products are very aggressively marketed. They are all scams.
Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources.
Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
"Questionable sources" include but are not limited to spontaneously appearing web pages or popups, download hosting sites such as C net dot com, Softonic dot com, Soft pedia dot com, Download dot com, Mac Update dot com, or any other site whose revenue is primarily derived from junk product advertisements.
If you need to install software that isn't available from the Mac App Store, obtain it only from legitimate sources authorized by the software's developer.
Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
Such "phishing" attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iCloud, iTunes, or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose:Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.
Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
Java can be disabled in System Preferences.
Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
The same precaution applies to Adobe Flash Player. Newly discovered Flash vulnerabilities appear almost weekly.
Beware spontaneous popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > check "Block popup windows".
Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but unsolicited popups are commonly used to deceive people into installing unwanted software they would never intentionally install.
Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
If you ever receive a popup window indicating that your Mac is infected with some ick or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
The same goes for a spontaneously appearing dialog insisting that you upgrade your video player right this instant. Such popups are frequently associated with sites that promise to deliver "free" movies or other copyrighted content that is not normally "free".
The more insistent it is that you upgrade or install something, the more likely it is to be a scam. Close the window or tab and forget it.
Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as "news". Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. Most of these attempts are pathetic and are easily recognized, but that hasn't stopped prominent public figures from recently succumbing to this age-old scam.
OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
If you elect to use "anti-virus" software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you "feel good" about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.
Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

How to get mouse events inside the components of a JTable

Hi!
I have question, I think this is related to very basics of swing, however I couldn't find a solution/answer on the web.
I have a JMyTable(a descendant of JTable), and one value on a row/column is a special class, ie. MyClass. for this class I registered a cell renderer, MyRenderer. and this renderer returns a JMyComponent, which is actually a descendant of JComponent.
Now, if I call enableEvents(AWTEvent.MOUSE_EVENT_MASK) in the constructor of JMyTable I get events posted on processMouseEvent method. However, the same doesn't work for JMyComponent. I mean, I call enableEvents, however processMouseEvent method is not triggered.
Could someone explain/help me with this issue?
Thanks,
Ozgur

Your cell renderer components are just that: renderers. They're not added to the table and do not appear in the component hierarchy. This is because tables may be very large and adding components in would be very resource hungry.
See here for details
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/components/table.html
If you want to detect events you will need to listen to events on the JTable itself, and use the rowAtPoint()/columnAtPoint() methods to determine the cell. So for instance where you might want mouseEntered() on your cell component you would have to use mouseMoved() on the table and detect when the cursor moves to a new cell.

IMac CPU3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 8GB, Extremely slow and repeatedly "out of Memory" since migration from Mountain Lion to Mavericks

Dear Apple Support Community.
As mentioned by a number of users reporting the same problem, my 2009 iMac CPU3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 8GB RAM, has become extremely slow and repeatedly "out of Memory" since it was migrated from Mountain Lion to Mavericks (OS 10.9 then OS 10.9.1).
I have already run CleanMyMac, deleted 5GB of useless stuffs, which did not translate into any improvement. Following the advices collected in other Apple Support Community threads, I have applied EtreCheck the outcome of which is provided below.
For information, I have also upgraded my 2011 MacBook CPU2.3 GHz Core i7, 8GB which became only a bit slower than before, sometimes freezing which it almost never did before. However, I am used to the fact that Mac get usually slower and more prompt fo freeze after upgrading to a more recent OS.
Both my 2009 iMac and my 2011 MacBook have F-Secure installed. So the problem with the 2009 IMac is unlikly to be due to the presence of F-Secure. Interestingly, the few abnormalities found by Etrecheck were exacly identical before I ran CleanMyMac. There are two more findings (mentioned below) since I ran CleanMyMac on the 2009 iMac, which again didn't improve the problem.
So please find below the details of the EtreCheck experience and some additional measurements made with iStat while running EtreCheck:
Hardware Information:
iMac (24-inch, Early 2009)
iMac - model: iMac9,1
1 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
8 GB RAM
Video Information:
ATI Radeon HD 4850 - VRAM: 512 MB
Audio Plug-ins:
BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
AirPlay: Version: 1.9 - SDK 10.9
AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0 - SDK 10.9
iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
System Software:
OS X 10.9.1 (13B42) - Uptime: 0 days 2:40:57
Disk Information:
WDC WD1001FALS-40K1B0 disk0 : (1 TB)
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
XooS5 HD (disk0s2) /: 999.35 GB (189.85 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5670S
USB Information:
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Canon CanoScan
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
FireWire Information:
WD My Passport 071D 800mbit - 800mbit max
EFI (disk1s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
disk1s2 (disk1s2) <not mounted>: 2 TB
Boot OS X (disk1s3) <not mounted>: 134.2 MB
Thunderbolt Information:
Kernel Extensions:
com.f-secure.kext.fsauth          (1.0.0d1)
Problem System Launch Daemons:
[failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist [REMARK: this abnormality appeared only after running CleanMyMac. It does not appear on my 2011 MacBook]
Problem System Launch Agents:
Launch Daemons:
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist
[invalid] com.bjango.istatlocaldaemon.plist [REMARK: this abnormality pre-existed to running CleanMyMac. It appears also on my 2011 MacBook]
[loaded] com.f-secure.fsavd.dbhelper.plist
[loaded] com.f-secure.fsavd.plist
[loaded] com.f-secure.fsmac.firewall.plist
[loaded] com.f-secure.fsmac.fsupdated_guts2.plist
[loaded] com.f-secure.fsmac.licensetool.plist
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2.Agent.plist
Launch Agents:
[loaded] com.babylon.activation.plist
[loaded] com.bjango.istatlocal.plist
[loaded] com.f-secure.relauncher.plist
[loaded] com.f-secure.trasher.plist
User Launch Agents:
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.diskSpaceWatcher.plist
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.scheduledScan.plist
[loaded] com.macpaw.CleanMyMac2Helper.trashWatcher.plist
User Login Items:
iTunesHelper
Dropbox
F-Secure Anti-Virus for MAC
3rd Party Preference Panes:
Flash Player
Internet Plug-ins::
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 11.9.900.170 - SDK 10.6
Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.04 - SDK 10.6
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.04 - SDK 10.6
DivXBrowserPlugin: Version: 2.1
Flash Player: Version: 11.9.900.170 - SDK 10.6
OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.2.8
Google Earth Web Plug-in: Version: 6.1
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0
User Internet Plug-ins::
Picasa: Version: 1.0
Bad Fonts:
None
Old applications:
None
Time Machine:
Skip System Files: NO
Mobile backups: OFF
Auto backup: YES
Volumes being backed up:
XooS5 HD: Disk size: 930.71 GB Disk used: 753.90 GB
Destinations:
XooS5 TM [Local] (Last used)
Total size: 2
Total number of backups: 32
Oldest backup: 2013-09-15 01:11:39 +0000
Last backup: 2013-12-07 12:48:45 +0000
Size of backup disk: Too small. Backup size 2 < (Disk used 753.90 GB X 3)
Time Machine details may not be accurate. All volumes being backed up may not be listed.
REMARK: The above finding is unlikely to be accurate. In fact, my Time Machine is supported by a 2TB WD My Passport Studio external HD connected with a Firewire 800. As mentionned, only 754GB of the 2000GB are used.
Top Processes by CPU:
5%          backupd
5%          Mail
5%          WindowServer
3%          Finder
3%          Dropbox
Top Processes by Memory:
1.60 GB          mds_stores REMARK: this item was marked in red in the outcome of EtreCheck, so I assume there is something wrong there
82 MB          Finder
74 MB          Mail
49 MB          softwareupdated
49 MB          Dropbox
Virtual Memory Statistics:
97 MB          Free RAM
1.21 GB          Active RAM
1.19 GB          Inactive RAM
1.21 GB          Wired RAM
1.83 GB          Page-ins
36 MB          Page-outs
Please find now some additional measurements collected with iStat while running EtreCheck:
Practically:
The iMac can work slowly with only one software e.g. either Mail or Safari or Firefox, but still the below "out of Memory" message occurs about every 3 minutes.
Aperture has becomre to slow to be useable
If trying to write a mail (with Mail) while Safari or Firefox is open, then the "out of Memory" message occurs about every 20 seconds so I need to check on "Resume" several times per minute.
Conclusions
From the above, unless anyone in the Apple Support Community proves to be able to identify a specific problem leading to a way to find a cure, I tend to conclude that Mavericks is not suitable for computers operating with a Core 2 Duo CPU even with a 8GB of RAM.
Unless I missed something, I did not see any warning from Apple Computer Inc. informing their customers they should refrain from upgrading Core 2 Duo Computers.
The only solution I see so far is to downgrade from Mavericks to Mountain Lion. And the Apple Support Community would confirm that it is the only solution, I would appreciate to get your guidance on how to proceed.
Intended action plan
Migrate the above 2009 iMac to a 2014 Mac Mini Server operating on Mavericks to ensure that no data may be lost while downgrading to Montain Lion.
Provided the above downgrading operation is successful, assign this 2009 iMac to partial retirement e.g. Mail, Skype, iTunes and DVD player.
In advance, I would like to thank the Apple Community for helping me either i) finding a cure to the problem, ii) or confirming that Mavericks cannot operate properly on Core 2 Duo computers, iii) and in such a case, guiding me on how to downgrade to Mountain Lion.
Yours sincerely
Core

... what anti-virus would you recommend using?
Use what is already included with OS X. It already includes everything it needs to protect itself from viruses and malware. Keep it that way with software updates from Apple.
A much better question is "how should I protect my Mac":
Never install any product that claims to "speed up", "clean up", "optimize", or "accelerate" your Mac. Without exception, they will do the opposite.
Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources. Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
Such "phishing" attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iTunes or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose. Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.
Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
Disable Java in Safari > Preferences > Security.
Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
Block browser popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > and check "Block popup windows":
Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but popups have devolved to become a common means to deliver targeted advertising that you probably do not want.
Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
If you ever see a popup indicating it detected registry errors, that your Mac is infected with some ick, or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as "news". Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. To date, most of these attempts have been pathetic and are easily recognized, but that is likely to change in the future as criminals become more clever.
OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
If you elect to use "anti-virus" software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you "feel good" about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.
Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

Can't get conky-cli and bash scripts to both display in dwm statusbar!

I'm trying to configure my dwm status bar to display some simple information using conky-cli and bash scripts. At first I tried just letting conky run the bash scripts (for network and volume state), but this increased my cpu usage by about 5%, which is significant considering I normally have 1-3% usage when idle. Also, I wanted to keep conky because it makes the display of certain information easy, such as cpu & RAM usage.
The problem is I'm having trouble getting both to display side by side. Here are the relevant parts of my .xinitrc:
network(){
iwconfig wlan0 2>&1 | grep -q no\ wireless\ extensions\. && {
echo wired
exit 0
essid=`iwconfig wlan0 | awk -F '"' '/ESSID/ {print $2}'`
stngth=`iwconfig wlan0 | awk -F '=' '/Quality/ {print $2}' | cut -d '/' -f 1`
bars=`expr $stngth / 10`
case $bars in
0) bar='[-------]' ;;
1) bar='[#------]' ;;
2) bar='[##-----]' ;;
3) bar='[###----]' ;;
4) bar='[####---]' ;;
5) bar='[#####--]' ;;
6) bar='[######-]' ;;
7) bar='[#######]' ;;
*) bar='[--!!!--]' ;;
esac
echo $essid$bar
exit 0
volume(){
vol=$(amixer get Master | awk -F'[]%[]' '/%/ {if ($7 == "off") { print "MM" } else { print $2 }}' | head -n 1)
echo Vol: $vol%
exit 0
conky | while true; read line; do xsetroot -name "`$line` `volume` `network` `date '+%a %m-%d-%Y %I:%M%p'`"; done &
exec dwm
(let me know if it would help to post any other files)
For some reason when I run this I only get the network/volume scripts and date running, updating every second (I think). The conky line just doesn't show up. I don't know what could be wrong, since I didn't see any error messages.
An even better solution would be to just have shell scripts to display CPU and MEM usage. I have a dual-core cpu, cpu0 and cpu1. I'd like to see both percentages if possible, or at least a percentage that is an accurate average of the two or something. In conky-cli I have something that shows:
cpu0/1: xx% xx%
Also, seeing RAM usage would help a lot. In conky it shows:
mem: xx% (xxxMB)
These are the ways I would like to have bash scripts show them, if possible, but I have zero skill in bash programming. I made this an option in case it's easier/cleaner/less resource hungry than a conky solution. Personally, if they're about the same in these aspects, I would prefer something with conky and the shell scripts because conky is so extensible, yet it's only flaw is executing scripts with minimal resource usage.
Help?

Thanks. I was thinking of using load average to save a few characters, but I didn't quite understand the numbers. I'll try that once I get to my Linux box, but could you please explain or post a link to something that explains load average (what's low, high, normal, etc.)?
EDIT: I found a website that explains loadavg. I now have my dwm status bar displaying it perfectly (yay!). Now I just need to add a few more things like battery status, etc. and I might be done. I'll probably post here if I have more questions, though.
Thanks for your help!
Last edited by Allamgir (2009-07-18 14:41:11)

How do I remove/erase completely the store Apple ID from my computer?

I recently bought a used MAC w/OSX Mavericks downloaded into it and I just got an update for 3 apps. Trouble is I can't update them because the store that I bought the computer from, their Apple ID is in the Apple ID field. The computer will only let me enter in the password for them. After I got home from buying the computer that day, I immediately changed the email address, the password and I downloaded McAfee into the system so as to protect myself from "outside use". I can't figure out how to delete the store ID from my computer. I want to totally erase them from my computer system. I thought I had but obviously not. I would call the store and ask how but I haven't been too impressed with their service since and prefer not to do busines with them again. Funny thing is, I just updated the OSX Mavericks update with my current AppleID and password, but the computer is asking for the store password for the other 3. Can someone out there in Apple world help??!! Please!! Thank you in advance!

Erasing it completely is the only way to ensure that you will not encounter the periodic requests for passwords that you do not have. It's a condition of sale Apple's OS X license requires, and the store was remiss in not doing so. It's up to you but I'd be inclined to return that Mac for a cash refund and use the proceeds to purchase one from a more competent vendor.
The Mac's original OS can be reinstalled using OS X Recovery as explained in the above referenced Support document (step 5). If that was not Mavericks, it can subsequently be upgraded to Mavericks at no additional charge.
Follow that document - it explains how to archive your photos, music, and other essential files before erasing the Mac, so that you can subsequently reinstall them.
Apps obtained from the Mac App Store that are not already included in OS X cannot be transferred to an Apple ID different than the one used to purchase them. It's simply impossible.
Why shouldn't I have McAfee on my computer???
Because not only is it totally worthless, it is likely to cause problems.
If I don't use that for virus protection then aren't I leaving myself vulnerable against viruses and the such?
There are no Mac OS X viruses. As for "and the such" nothing improves upon what is already incorporated in OS X and most garbage like McAfee will only cause problems. Those that don't cause problems will accomplish nothing beneficial.
A much better question is "how should I protect my Mac":
Never install any product that claims to "speed up", "clean up", "optimize", or "accelerate" your Mac. Without exception, they will do the opposite.
Never install pirated or "cracked" software, software obtained from dubious websites, or other questionable sources. Illegally obtained software is almost certain to contain malware.
Don’t supply your password in response to a popup window requesting it, unless you know what it is and the reason your credentials are required.
Don’t open email attachments from email addresses that you do not recognize, or click links contained in an email:
Most of these are scams that direct you to fraudulent sites that attempt to convince you to disclose personal information.
Such "phishing" attempts are the 21st century equivalent of a social exploit that has existed since the dawn of civilization. Don’t fall for it.
Apple will never ask you to reveal personal information in an email. If you receive an unexpected email from Apple saying your account will be closed unless you take immediate action, just ignore it. If your iTunes or App Store account becomes disabled for valid reasons, you will know when you try to buy something or log in to this support site, and are unable to.
Don’t install browser extensions unless you understand their purpose. Go to the Safari menu > Preferences > Extensions. If you see any extensions that you do not recognize or understand, simply click the Uninstall button and they will be gone.
Don’t install Java unless you are certain that you need it:
Java, a non-Apple product, is a potential vector for malware. If you are required to use Java, be mindful of that possibility.
Disable Java in Safari > Preferences > Security.
Despite its name JavaScript is unrelated to Java. No malware can infect your Mac through JavaScript. It’s OK to leave it enabled.
Block browser popups: Safari menu > Preferences > Security > and check "Block popup windows":
Popup windows are useful and required for some websites, but popups have devolved to become a common means to deliver targeted advertising that you probably do not want.
Popups themselves cannot infect your Mac, but many contain resource-hungry code that will slow down Internet browsing.
If you ever see a popup indicating it detected registry errors, that your Mac is infected with some ick, or that you won some prize, it is 100% fraudulent. Ignore it.
Ignore hyperventilating popular media outlets that thrive by promoting fear and discord with entertainment products arrogantly presented as "news". Learn what real threats actually exist and how to arm yourself against them:
The most serious threat to your data security is phishing. To date, most of these attempts have been pathetic and are easily recognized, but that is likely to change in the future as criminals become more clever.
OS X viruses do not exist, but intentionally malicious or poorly written code, created by either nefarious or inept individuals, is nothing new.
Never install something without first knowing what it is, what it does, how it works, and how to get rid of it when you don’t want it any more.
If you elect to use "anti-virus" software, familiarize yourself with its limitations and potential to cause adverse effects, and apply the principle immediately preceding this one.
Most such utilities will only slow down and destabilize your Mac while they look for viruses that do not exist, conveying no benefit whatsoever - other than to make you "feel good" about security, when you should actually be exercising sound judgment, derived from accurate knowledge, based on verifiable facts.
Do install updates from Apple as they become available. No one knows more about Macs and how to protect them than the company that builds them.
Summary: Use common sense and caution when you use your Mac, just like you would in any social context. There is no product, utility, or magic talisman that can protect you from all the evils of mankind.

Ihab's Lenovo K900 Review

Hello everyone How are you all doing? I just finished the write up of the Lenovo K900 Reivew. I hope you like it, and if you would like to see larger/full resolution images of the ones posted here you can check out the review over at ihabstech.com. Enjoy!
Yes, Lenovo make smartphones worldwide now. I thought that would be an appropriate opening since I keep getting the question mark look on people’s faces when looking at the phone placed in front of me and then ask “Lenovo make phones?”.
At first I didn’t even realize they had phones and when I did, I was surprised they actually had quite a decent range. Not only that, they had their own Lenovo UI of Android. It seems they have been working really hard to get great devices out and guess which device I managed to get my hands on? The flagship. How exciting! So, lets take a look at this phone.
That is not a perfectly angled shot to make the device appear really thin.. Okay it is, but the device really is thin! it’s stated at 6.9mm only!
Quick Spec Sheet
You have to re-think your understanding of big phones with the K900, the dimensions are 157 x 78 x 6.9 mm! So it is pretty huge, but in exchange for carrying the sizeable device (or phablet if you want to call it that) you get a 5.5 inch Full HD IPS screen with about 400 PPI with the screen resolution of 1920×1080 (It is very responsive and even recognizes use with fingernails and pens) above the screen sits an aray of sensors and a 2MP fixed-focus camera. Taking a step deeper into the device, we find an Intel® Atom™ Z2760 Dual Core™ 4-thread processor running up to 2.0 GHz with 2GB of RAM. The graphics centre is an Intel® GMA graphics with 533MHz clock, and both assist in running Android 4.2.1. All this powerful hardware comes in a Brushed Stainless Steel, Polycarbonate and Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2 package that weighs 162 grams. On the back is the 13MP camera with auto-focus and dual flash, capable of full 1080[ video at 30 FPS. In regards to communication, it has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and HSPA+ (up to 42MBPS) and wireless hotspot functionality. As for sensors, the K900 has A-GPS, Gravitation (I am guess a gyroscope?), Ambient light sensor and a Proximity sensor.
Box Contents
This is always the excitement of opening a box of a brand you have never dealt with before, I had no clue what to expect.
The box had a cover which had the K900 branding in a huge cut out. Being that the box was black it didn’t make sense. Till..
The inside of that cover was in red! So taking the box out lights up the K900 branding. Sexy! Lifting the cover reveals the phone. In first impressions I thought the phone was going to be smaller than the big box, turns out it was the size of the box.
I know there isn’t anything out of the ordinary to expect in an unboxing, and so nothing unusual here. A Micro-USB Cable, a pair of ordinary Headphones and a SIM-Card ejector tool attached to the small manuals card. Weirdly, I have not received a wall charger, but I have so many of them laying around there is no problems and of course, the retail units will have one without a doubt.
Design, Body and Display
The device is a very good looking device despite its large size. I have used many devices over the past few months from iPhones, Galaxies, HTC Ones (Normal and Mini) and others and not a single one got the stares and questions asked as the Lenovo K900. It does have a personality and it is eye catching.
To start things off, lets talk about the front (Apologies for the low quality pictures) From the top sits a small cut out for the speaker and to the left the front facing camera. The sensors are nearly impossible to notice, perfect integration that is. Lenovo branding in the center and then the huge screen all the way till the bottom where three Android buttons sit, Back, Home and Options/Settings.
Flipping the phone to the back is where things start to get an even more premium look. Up top sits the 13MP camera, Dual-Flash and the secondary noise cancelling microphone, then comes what appears to be a back cover, but it isn’t removable. It’s in stainless steel brushed with 4 corner screws to make it look somewhat industrial? I think it has a nice touch. There is an engraved Lenovo logo towards the top and below sits the Intel logo. Finally towards the bottom sits the loud speaker.
For all of you wondering about the stainless steel durability with us, yes the sides do scratch up a bit. I could recommend trying to find a case but I just think it looks so good without one. Also, not too sure you can find a case that easily as well.
They kept the design clean, which means there is nothing to the top of the device. I think with a device this big, anything on the top would be suicidal because it would drop functionality dramatically. Fortunately, the 3.5mm headphone jack, Micro-USB port and primary microphone are on the bottom with nothing on the top. Thanks Lenovo.
The volume buttons are found to the left of the device, but as one button. To the right side sits the lock/power button and towards the middle, the SIM-Card tray. Please be gentle with the tray if you get one, because as with my past experiences with metal trays, if this bends just a tiny bit, it will ruin the look and the flatness will never return again. Either way, pretty straight forward and all buttons feel metallic while the lock/power button have a little pattern on them.
The feedback on the buttons are good but the lock/power button is slightly too soft, which may click on while holding the device in one’s hand.
So yes, the size… Here is the K900 beside the Nokia Lumia 925 and HTC One Mini.
The Nokia has a 4.5 Inch screen while the HTC has a 4.3 inch one, clearly being 5.5 makes it huge, plus the device is actually quite tall.
The device feels really nice in the hands, but it does need a lot of getting used to being a phone of this size. It does slightly stick out of my jeans pocket. I have almost dropped it a few times because I am not used to using such a big device. Certainly if people are used to 5+ inch devices this might not seem too big, but I have never gone over 5 in my pockets before. It is a big device, that I started to get used to after about a week or two of use. I started to carry it differently, more towards a small notepad than a normal smartphone. I got used to it eventually! The metal back does get cold quickly especially in air conditioned areas so picking the phone up does feel special.
As for the screen, it is absolutely brilliant. The clarity is amazing, the brightness can go up to levels that could be uncomfortable (but means brilliant in the sun). The only downside to the brightness is in the OS side as it can only be set at 30%, 60% and 100%, I would have preferred a slider but I am just being picky. Being 400PPI no pixels can be seen and the color representation is just brilliant, one of the best screens I have used in a smartphone, should be thankful to the IPS technology then. This is possibly the most inviting smartphone I have ever had in terms of wanting to watch videos on it, and I often just load videos from the laptop to the device to watch it there instead.
Memory and Data
This is where things complicated, and a bit unusual. Essentially the device comes with 16 GB of internal storage, which supposedly nearly 10 GB is free to the user, but what makes no sense is how it is managed..
The device states that internal storage is 4.68 GB out of which I have nearly 600 MB free, and the USB storage is 9.77GB. On the bottom is the option to erase the SD card. There is no SD card. At first glance, it seems that the device has 5 GB of internal memory and like 10 GB of a separate internal memory, but this is actually a security thing that Lenovo has implemented, they have partitioned the drive so the system’s section of the storage remains untouched. Connecting the device to the computer, or accessing the built in file manager only displays the 9.77 GB partition.
Sadly, as I have often stated, getting 16 GB of storage on a smartphone today is a low amount of storage, especially considering only nearly 10GB is only ever free with no external memory card slot option. Being on Android, every single cloud storage platform has an app, but Lenovo do not provide any free cloud storage on any service.
As with typical modern day Android device (The K900 was launched in January in some markets) it comes with 2GB of RAM. With normal use, I average around 700-900 MB of free RAM. So the system seems to be managing its RAM fairly decently, and I have never experienced any memory issues in my use.
Camera
The K900 comes with a 13 MP camera with every option one could need on a smartphone.
I wanted to really show the settings and viewfinder, but the K900′s screen shot utility is limited to only areas where the notification center is accessible, and all attempts to get a decent screen shot app without rooting failed miserably (before I forget, rooting this device is not an easy task, near impossible to find sources online)
On the bottom left of the screen is where the main settings live and it has three main sections. The Basic section includes toggles for switching between cameras, flash settings, resolution, scenes (normal, low light, motion, etc), adjustments (brightness, contrast, etc), image quality settings and guide lines. The Advanced section covers the ISO, white balance, stroscopic settings and a toggle to enable or disable image capture by touching the screen. The last section is the other settings where the user can control GPS tagging, sounds, animation, focus modes and a reset tool.
On the left of the screen there are two quick toggles for the flash and switching to the front camera. towards the right there is even more settings! on the top there is a small tool to display the selected settings in tiny icons and a arrow button to set the camera modes (HDR, low light, smile detection, macro, timed photos, burst shot, panorama, and night portrait mode.
To the bottom of that.. is even MORE settings! well okay, not settings but there is a button that opens a whole table of effects for the photography, there is about 24 different effects to play with. To the far right sits the buttons to switch to video mode, capture an image and a thumbnail of the last photo taken.
Here are some sample pictures taken with the K900 in various real world situations.
A nice, decent lit Macro soft of the Blackberry Q5 (Review of the Q5 can be found here)
Low light shot of the HTC One Mini (Review of the One Mini can be found here)
A shot with decent lighting of a new packaged headset, lit well but notice how the device itself is over exposed.
Decent interior lighting, the text is fairly clear at zoom, the disclaimer line is blurred though.
Outdoor shot in daylight
Indoor shot with decent lighting of a portrait (best focus and lighting on the picture).
The quality is really good, one of the best cameras I have come across in smartphones. The best? No, but very close I have to admit.
So is it all perfect? Almost. Although there is a nice hidden feature where pressing the volume down and capture button on the screen will activate burst mode without having to go through the settings, the zooming is bad. Not the zooming itself, but the on screen controls for zooming. Tapping the screen will bring the 4x zoom bar, and it is really thin and 9 times out of 10 trying to zoom in or out, it will focus on that spot on the view finger rather than lower/increase the zoom, its very hard to zoom effectively and the volume keys don’t adjust the zoom which I think is a waste of the keys but in essence of taking pictures, it does a very good job.

Operating System
The K900 runs on Android version 4.2.1 with Lenovo’s own UI. It is a very interesting looking system, with tons of customizable features. No, I mean seriously, tons. Almost every single aspect of the experience can be changed, from the icon sets, size of the icons, backgrounds of the icons, special effects, tens of page transitions for the home page and various transitions for the apps page, automatic clean up (where inactive apps can be automatically removed), desktop layout backup, tens of built in apps, with up to 9 desktops!
And I wish that was it.. there is a lot more to this OS that I thought, Lenovo did a great job.
Let me start things off at the home screen and this essentially gives you an idea of how the operating system looks like. Pressing the menu button brings up the list of options (most of which are mentioned above) but this gives an almost unlimited amount of customization. Tapping and holding on an empty spot brings up the tools for transitions (known as effects), and the options to add apps, shortcuts, widgets and more! Lenovo’s power app has its own widget as well, which shows estimated time before battery runs out and quick toggles.
Although most of our smartphone use doesn’t include phone calls or sms somehow, it is the base of a phone. Lenovo has done a great job here with their all in one approach. Call log, messages and contacts are all under one section. They have done it in a smart way where the dialler is on top of the log instead of two pages, certainly is more productive. The messages have a very interesting look to them, which I thought looked nice. Moving all the way into info center brings up a set of settings including a way to backup and restore contacts. It may not be a big deal to many but i think this all in one spot is a nice touch.
The took the extra step in small touches, for instance when you call someone, the phone will vibrate the second the receiver picks up, not sure if any other manufacturer has that or not (never paid attention to it) but it is really cool especially in noisy situations.
Before I go on, Lenovo has done something to this phone that evokes a sense of professional use or focus that has driven the development of the user interface, in my opinion.
The applications list/page is a typical experience, but Lenovo has put their own touch. The device comes with built-in applications such as Flashlight, a whole array of google apps, file manager, evernote, uc browser, skype and a few others. The transitions are various as well, and can be set to flip as a cylinder, apps snake through each other and others.
The device does stutter and lag a bit sometimes, but the general transitions are always smooth. I guess this always goes back to the optimization aspect, because the device is certainly more than capable, hardware-wise.
The notification center is the typical Android 4.2.1 with a strip of quick toggles and the whole list is just a tap away. Activating Lenovo’s power app also adds a little information strip for the battery life and active functions. Two finger swipe down brings out the whole short-cut list.
Another important aspect of the device (being the most used feature) is the keyboard. The keyboard is nice, smooth and easy to type on, no troubles there but there are a few loose ends. One of which, is the feedback vibrations. Initially it would vibrate when tapping and then suddenly it would stop vibrating for no apparent reason.
In SMS mode, the enter button only appears when the keyboard is in Capital mode. Surely, these aren’t concerns but with an attempt to be so refined, they could have entirely eliminated keyboard issues. The numbers and symbols are a tap and hold away although I wish they applied more symbols in the same way throughout the keyboard.
The settings menu is a whole operating system on its own! Under common settings the user will find the typical essential settings of the phone. Under Feature Settings is where things start to get interesting. The Lenovo K900 has many smart sensory features like engaging maximum volume when it detects its in a pocket, decreasing of volume when device is picked up while ringing, enabling the volume keys to turn the screen on, shake to lock the device and knock to turn the screen on.
Do these really work? They all do but not without fault. The shake to lock the phone comes in handy because the device is huge and if it is being held one handed, it would eliminate the need to go up to press the button. The problem with this is, it would lock when moving around the device. In regards to the knock to unlock, it works by sudden movement rather than tapping/knocking the screen, which in my use, meant the screen came on when I would move about or place the phone on a table or anything solid. The rest worked fine. Cool features just need to be optimized perhaps.
Under All Settings, the device can be almost completely be adjusted to liking from communications, application and account settings, device storage and running applications and finally system settings and all these can be seen above.
In typical Lenovo way, everything built in has its own Lenovo touch. The file manager is quite smart! It allows traditional folder access, search, history, etc and also an automatic access of files based on their categories.
Lenovo has done a very good job with their own Android UI. There are various applications built in, a lot of customizable options to keep things individual and all transitions and UI related functions run flawlessly. The processor I believe is the only source of things being out of hand. It runs up to 2.0Ghz, with no mention of what it’s general speed is and due to that, there are times when there would be stutters and lags. When the processor is running on full speed, everything is super smooth but I cannot deny when it is not.
Applications on the K900 run absolutely smooth being in full 1080p. I have not experienced any applications having any issues what so ever, but what did have negative experiences was some games. The general non-resource hungry games always work, but games like Real Racing 3 were really out of order. It would stutter and eventually crash. I even downloaded Asphalt 8 (just out by the way, nice game, I somehow prefer 7 till now) and although it didn’t crash, it would lag! I tried it earlier today and it ran for much longer than the last time, then lagged.
Again I believe this must be due to the processor’s optimization and Lenovo’s focus on professional use I guess. Without a doubt it isn’t a slow or weak device, just lacks a little.
The imaging on the K900 is called SuperCamera and the image viewer is called SuperGallery. The self-claimed Super Gallery is quite feature-full and it allows creation of combined images and GIFs. It also is capable of providing the complete details of an image (such as size, resolution, device used for capture, etc)
Multitasking is taken care off in the typical Android way, but for some reason, there is no button to clear all open applications and being that there is no limit to open apps in the list, it can get a bit annoying swiping away all the open applications to clear it.
Aside from those few criticisms, with the huge and beautiful screen on the K900, and good performance (especially when its running at maximum juice) it is a very solid device in regards to the operating system.
Performance
There is no doubt in my mind that this is a powerful device, because it really is but with the processor feeling not entirely optimized, there is slight sluggishness while operating the device. Is it evident enough and noticeable? Slightly. There are times when I unlocked the device and the home page is still loading its widget, or swipe to another page and the icons pop up but weren’t already ready.
Switching between applications and running applications is really smooth, the processor really does handle it well, but I wish the processor ran on 2.0 Ghz the whole time because I feel when it is idle or nor running at maximum performance is when it gets sluggish. I have tried several attempts to really work up the processor and then try the general OS transitions and everything was perfectly smooth. I feel the Intel processor isn’t the best for Android or at least isn’t optimized well enough.
In typical, simple, basic ihabstech fashion, here is the quick fish tank test, which gives a rough idea of how good the device’s graphics and processor can be.
(running at 980×440 resolution)
With 100 fish, it held 18-21 FPS
With 250 fish, it held 11-13 FPS
With 500 fish, it held 9-11 FPS
Keeping in mind the HTC One had a 1.7 GHZ Quad Core Snapdragon processor, it had about an average of 1-3 FPS less, the Lenovo K900 is a performer!
To try it out the Fishtank Test for yourself, you can visit this link, and I think I shall be using this with future device reviews too.
Battery
The battery of the K900 is an interesting topic. Before getting into my experiences, the Lenovo Power application that integrates into the OS, is pretty cool.
This is the essential app, where there are quick toggles for the system tools and an estimated time, in the best case scenario, till the battery would die. There are also several battery modes and a custom mode with estimated battery life for each.
The following are two sample battery life tests I have experienced.
In first test, I managed to pull out 12 hours of battery life with nearly 6 hours of standby time.
While this second attempted pulled out 16 and a half hours of battery life with roughly 8 hours of standby time.
The shocker is that I have once managed to drain the battery in less than 6 hours of use. What this essentially tells me is that the battery life of the 2500mAh sized battery in the K900 is very variable to the users use of the device. I am sure if I had set things up rather than running at max, I could get a whole day’s use. I recommend anyone who buys this device to play and test a lot with the battery application and find the best of both worlds, battery life and active functions. It essentially has a decent battery, even though I have no idea how they fit that battery in there.
Wrap up
The Lenovo K900 has been a delight. Yes, the device does need polishing up in various aspects, but that does not take away the fact that this device is solid, right now.
The build of the device is phenomenal, the blend of stainless and full glass front is just a beauty and the device doesn’t even think of creaking. The camera is really powerful, full of features, and speaking of features the system really feature-full and is speedy, efficient and very smart. Sure, it does have a few loose ends in terms of battery management, operating system and processor optimization but for professional and ordinary use of the device, it runs near perfect.
I am sure Lenovo are already working on the next generation of models, including a new flagship, and if this is how they handled things early 2013, I can just imagine they would do really well in the smartphone market!
Device Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Brilliant build quality
- Slim profile
- High resolution camera with good imaging features
- Excellent Full HD 1080p IPS screen
- Lenovo’s UI has well optimized applications and a lot of customization
Cons:
- Hardware isn’t fully optimized for software (some apps don’t run smoothly)
- OS is sluggish at times and transitions aren’t always smooth
- Device is very big for most people
- Questionable battery life
- Not all gestures work well in real world use
- Limited storage
Thanks for reading and please do leave your comments, thoughts and questions below

[SOLVED] Artifacts with EXAPixmap ON and KMS with ATI OSS drivers

I had some problems for many months on my Arch Linux installation and I couldnt figure out what was causing it, so, because I found the sollution, I wanted to post it here and share it with you.
I, like others, was experiencing huge artifacts with KMS and EXAPixmaps on, on various cases, visuals and textures. After fiddling with all radeon options in xorg.conf and KMS on/off I found out thats its best for me to have KMS on (I couldnt play wine games otherwise) and EXAPixmaps off. But then again, when EXAPixmaps was off, I had poor 2D performance with KMS on, Xrender acceleration wasnt working and was falling back to software engine. Solution came from something that was brought to my attention in this topic. I ve set ARGB visuals off, raster engine for rendering and tried EXAPixmaps on.
It worked! Everything are as they supposed to be. Xrender engine and composite manager are finally working, no more artifacts. Framebuffer memory on my radeon card was somehow cleared. I then later found out an awkward solution on how to clear it by demand... Start X with vesa driver... then fix again xorg.conf back to radeon driver and reboot.
Now I have both 2D and 3D acceleration, I am logged in with KDE and have good performance. My glxgears output is 1000 to 1150 fps (vsync off) and I am using Xrender for the KDE desktop effects.
EDIT: I must clarify that I have an ATI Radeon 9200 Mobility M9+ (R200 serries)
Last edited by twilight0 (2011-05-13 20:30:27)

I 've made some more edits and this is my current xorg.conf
http://pastebin.com/x6ubG80K
I have ColorTiling set on for performance, be careful as it may be resource hungry in 3D apps but it increases dramatically fps.
You can try setting off EXAPixmaps as well and see how it goes, but then you ll have poor 2D performance and yet videos will play just fine either way.

Applet or web-start? How can I package a memory intensive app?

Dear All,
I'm new here - I'm learning about Java with a particular project in mind, and looking for advice from people with more experience before I start coding! Your opinions would be very useful.
I would like to write a small scientific application, to be distributed by the web, easy to run as a normal user (without administrator rights), with a good GUI. So Java sounds very good for this. However, the application will be very memory intensive (and quite CPU intensive) with several large arrays. It may require ~1 to 2 Gb of memory at times. I have three simple questions:
1) If I write it as an applet, will my users hit memory 'heap size' limits when they try and run it if it tries to use ~1 Gb memory? Can I control this?
2) If I write it using JNLP (e.g. Sun's Java Web-Start), will my users get memory limit errors if my application tries to use ~1 Gb memory? Can I control this?
3) If more and more people start using the Java browser plugin, will they get Web-Start installed at the same time? Or will Web-start become less common?
Any other advice about this choice, problems with web-start or resource hungry applets would also be gratefully received.
With thanks and best regards,
andy_g
(PS: I'm not worried about the performance of Java compared to other languages - I'm worried about hitting memory limits imposed by the JVM settings or Java language!)

Hi ChuckBing,
Thanks for your reply - it's given me some valuable information. In light of your post I think I'm going to try a very simple test code which does some simple operations with representative big arrays and see if I can get that working well on a range of machines before I spend time writing the real thing. I hadn't appreciated the need for contiguous memory in the Java heap.
As for comparing JNLP and applet memory control, after another intensive bout of google searching, I found more information about controlling heap size for applets at:
https://jdk6.dev.java.net/plugin2/jnlp/
From my (novice) reading of this page, it seems that from 1.6 you can now control the heap available to an applet in a similar manner to JNLP. I've added this link in case other people stumble across this post with a similar questions about applet memory limits.
Thanks again,
andy_g

Is LR4 Resource Hungry?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for