Memory Usage

[benjamindaines]

Adium is a superb app, but lately I've noticed that its been using MASSIVE amounts of memory. Currently it is using over 50mb (52.75mb) and it seems the more i have it running the more memory it uses. So I was wondering how much memory Adium is using on your computer. So post up how many mb of memory Adium is using and perhaps the developers can find a way to make it use less.

-Cheers.

[Ethion]

its using 20 mb of real memory.. How much RAM do you have?

[DeathAxe]

24.8 mb

[benjamindaines]

I have 1GB of memory. It's not that I worry about running out of memory its that iChat only uses 20mb

[The_Tick]

How many accounts are signed on?

How many chat windows do you have open?

If your contact list is not the standard list, what options are you using on it?

How long have your chat windows been open?

Are you using the default webkit, or cvs webkit?

Are you using the .87 release, or svn?


So say I had 2000 chat windows open, I'd expect to have a lot more ram usage. You've said how much ram you use, but you didn't say anything about your usage, which is the most important part.

[The_Tick]

I have 1GB of memory. It's not that I worry about running out of memory its that iChat only uses 20mb

iChat does way less than Adium does

[snarfer]

I have 1GB of memory. It's not that I worry about running out of memory its that iChat only uses 20mb

iChat does way less than Adium does

I've noticed that when I initiate a voive/video connection, my 512MB iBook is nigh dead, but that could be my bandwidth...

[bgannin]

Comparing memory usage of two superficially similar apps is a red herring. It does no good. It's rather like comparing a Saturn to a Ferrari... both are cars, both drive, both have a lot of cross-over... but in the end, radically different in approach, cost, etc.

[evands]

Comparing memory usage of two superficially similar apps is a red herring. It does no good. It's rather like comparing a Saturn to a Ferrari... both are cars, both drive, both have a lot of cross-over... but in the end, radically different in approach, cost, etc.

I totally agree.

It is still a potentially useful point of comparison -- one might want to know the answer to the question, "If I have very limited RAM and only use AIM or Jabber, which of Adium or iChat will use the least RAM when providing basic instant messaging functionality?"

A note about comparing iChat's memory usage: iChat launches a second program, the iChatAgent, to provide its connectivity. You should add iChat's memory useage to iChatAgent's memory usage to make a fair comparison between iChat and Adium -- and of course have the two in the same state (same accounts connected / disconnected, X message windows open, etc).

[benjamindaines]

How many accounts are signed on?

1 How many chat windows do you have open?

2 If your contact list is not the standard list, what options are you using on it?

3 How long have your chat windows been open?

4Are you using the default webkit, or cvs webkit?

5Are you using the .87 release, or svn?

1 Four chats open all with in one window using tabs

2 I am using the normal contact list with Group bubbles, and 53% opacity

3 The chat windows have been open for at least 45 mins

4 Don't know

5 I am using the .87 release.

[ben_]

I just checked my memory useage- Adium was using 42mb of real memory with just my contact list open. I did have 2 or 3 chat windows open previously but surely I should have re-claimed that ram when the windows closed.

Quitting and reloading Adium fixed the problem- I'm back to 13mb. I am using a non-standard message view, could that have anything to do with it?

Anyway opening one message window bumped the usage up to 27mb, however closing this window did not cause the usage to drop back to 13mb, it only dropped to 24mb.

That doesn't seem right to me, is this normal or indicative of a memory leak?

Also, I only have one chat account- AIM so Adium has no reason to use more memory that iChat- all of my contacts are the same in both programs. I only have 384MB of RAM so I don't really like that Adium does that.

[bgannin]

Also, I only have one chat account- AIM so Adium has no reason to use more memory that iChat- all of my contacts are the same in both programs. I only have 384MB of RAM so I don't really like that Adium does that.

Adium has many reasons to use more memory:
(for example, a couple)

1) WebKit-based drawing with complex message styles dynamically updating a view [not a custom, highly optimized drawing view]

2) Fully customizable contact list that is MUCH more complex in drawing that the pretty much vanilla contact list driving iChat

As to the 'leak':
Not necessarily. It's more indicative that a dependency that wasn't yet loaded into memory was now loaded. Likely #1 in my above list. You saw a 3mb decrease, likely relating to the closing of the chat and removing it [but not kicking WebKit back out of memory, as that would be ... hard (I think) and silly [you'd have to reload WebKit into memory each time a chat opened and another wasn't already].

[Catfish_Man]

There are some leaks in Adium, but nothing particularly large. Run "leaks Adium" in Terminal to get a list of leaked memory. My copy has 6048 leaked bytes right now (aka 6kB). Looks like jabber/gtalk leaks the name of each contact, for example (this is using a trunk build, not 0.87).

<edit>
One more thing: 0.87 loads a TON of stuff the first time you open a chat. Emoticons, message styles, webkit, etc... Most or all of this is not unloaded when you close the window, because that would cause speed problems. 1.0 loads message styles in the background after launch, and I'm hoping to do the same for emoticons, but I may not get to it.
</edit>

[evands]

2) Fully customizable contact list that is MUCH more complex in drawing that the pretty much vanilla contact list driving iChat

The contact list shouldn't change memory usage signficantly -- drawing is drawing.

[but not kicking WebKit back out of memory, as that would be ... hard (I think) and silly [you'd have to reload WebKit into memory each time a chat opened and another wasn't already].

Yeah, with a dynamic framework, a lot of it isn't loaded until a symbol is referenced -- i.e. when the message window is opened -- and can't be unloaded once loaded.

[bgannin]

2) Fully customizable contact list that is MUCH more complex in drawing that the pretty much vanilla contact list driving iChat

The contact list shouldn't change memory usage signficantly -- drawing is drawing.

Well... I won't disagree on the former, but I will a bit on the latter as drawing a borderless, group bubbles contact list at 25% opacity with a nice style and status icons and contact icons would likely be a bit more drawing intense than the (compared to) iChat's contact list.

// but for those playing along, drawing would be (C/G)PU intensive, not memory intensive, thus I hand myself a red herring

[evands]

2) Fully customizable contact list that is MUCH more complex in drawing that the pretty much vanilla contact list driving iChat

The contact list shouldn't change memory usage signficantly -- drawing is drawing.

Well... I won't disagree on the former, but I will a bit on the latter as drawing a borderless, group bubbles contact list at 25% opacity with a nice style and status icons and contact icons would likely be a bit more drawing intense than the (compared to) iChat's contact list.

// but for those playing along, drawing would be (C/G)PU intensive, not memory intensive, thus I hand myself a red herring

Communism is a red herring.

[zaudragon]

The contact list shouldn't change memory usage signficantly -- drawing is drawing.

Well... I won't disagree on the former, but I will a bit on the latter as drawing a borderless, group bubbles contact list at 25% opacity with a nice style and status icons and contact icons would likely be a bit more drawing intense than the (compared to) iChat's contact list.

// but for those playing along, drawing would be (C/G)PU intensive, not memory intensive, thus I hand myself a red herring

Communism is a red herring.

Communism r0x0rz. The corrupt kind, though, is a horrible poser. Down with Fake Communism!

[The_Tick]

The contact list shouldn't change memory usage signficantly -- drawing is drawing.

Well... I won't disagree on the former, but I will a bit on the latter as drawing a borderless, group bubbles contact list at 25% opacity with a nice style and status icons and contact icons would likely be a bit more drawing intense than the (compared to) iChat's contact list.

// but for those playing along, drawing would be (C/G)PU intensive, not memory intensive, thus I hand myself a red herring

Communism is a red herring.

So is the implementation of democracy in the US.

[bgannin]

Well... I won't disagree on the former, but I will a bit on the latter as drawing a borderless, group bubbles contact list at 25% opacity with a nice style and status icons and contact icons would likely be a bit more drawing intense than the (compared to) iChat's contact list.

// but for those playing along, drawing would be (C/G)PU intensive, not memory intensive, thus I hand myself a red herring

Communism is a red herring.

So is the implementation of democracy in the US.

Technically currently we have not a democracy but fascism. Believe me not, look up the definition (hint: corporation-controlled government)

But politics is wildly off-topic

[benjamindaines]

How many accounts are signed on?

Sorry, missed this question. I have one AIM account open.