Memory Bars is FreeWare; please distribute it as widely as possible. Memory Bars may be distributed and used freely, but not sold for profit. Please distribute only the orignal, unmodified archive file that Memory Bars was packaged in. If you plan on mass-distributing Memory Bars by any means, please contact SnakeByte Software first.
If you find Memory Bars useful, please send in a completed copy of the Registration file which is included in this package. We use this information to determine what kind of programs to write, and your feedback is very important.
What Is "Memory Bars"?
Memory Bars is a neat little application program that places two small "thermometers" in the menu bar that show how much memory the front application and system software are using, and how much memory is available for each. This will let you see at a glance how much memory you have left to work with.
Note: Memory Bars is very similar to the "memory bars" feature of the program "MenuTrix". The purpose of Memory Bars is to provide the memory thermometers without the heavy memory requirements of MenuTrix.
Why Do I Need Memory Bars?
Memory bars gives you a constant picture of how much memory is available. This helps you know that memory is running low before something goes wrong.
Granted, there are other "memory-in-the-menu" programs & extensions (including our own MenuTrix), but Memory Bars provides a combination of low memory requirements and future compatibility that few others can match. Memory Bars will run fine under future versions of MacOS, while the current control panels and extensions -will- break.
What Does Memory Bars Require?
[1] Any Macintosh computer, running System Software (MacOS) version 7.1 or later.
[2] Color QuickDraw support is required. Note that your Mac might still support Color QuickDraw, even if it has a black & white or grayscale monitor. See the appropriate manuals that came with your computer for details.
[3] A minimum of 35k of free memory.
[4] Enough free disk space for Memory Bars.
[5] StuffIt 3.0 or later, to unpack Memory Bars from its archive file.
How Do I Install Memory Bars?
Follow these steps for the best results while using Memory Bars. While it's notessential that Memory Bars is installed in this fashion, it is strongly recommended.
[1] Extract the file •Memory Bars from the Memory Bars .SIT StuffIt archive file.
[2] Move •Memory Bars to the Startup Items folder, located inside of your System folder.
Installation is now complete. The next time you boot your Mac, Memory Bars will start up automatically. To run Memory Bars without rebooting, double-click on the •Memory Bars icon.
How Do I Use Memory Bars?
Memory Bars' normal operation is fully automatic. Just let Memory Bars run "in the background", and Memory Bars will do all of its work with no effort on your part. The left (blue) bar shows how much memory the current (front) application is using, while the right (gray) bar shows how much of your Mac's total memory is being used.
Memory Bars Preferences
Memory Bars allows you to change several settings that affects the way it works.
To change whether these effects are active or not, pull down the "File" and select the item "Preferences". The Memory Bars Preferences window will then open. Note that all changes take effect immediately. Click on the close box or choose "Close" from the "File" menu when you're done with the preferences.
Here's a description of the controls in the Preferences window and what they do:
•Set Location: This button allows you to change the location of the memory bars. A dialog box will come up, prompting you drag the menu bars to where you'd like them to be drawn. Choose Accept to accept the bar's new location, or Cancel to cancel.
•Choose Color: These buttons let you choose the application and system bar colors, respectively, using the Color Picker. See the section Known Problems below for a note about the Color Picker and low memory.
•Switch To Finder At Starup: When this check box is checked and Memory Bars is first starting up, Memory Bars will automatically make Finder the "front" or current application. This is especially useful at boot time and Memory Bars is installed in the Startup Items folder.
•Use Defaults: This button will set all of the preferences to thier default values.
A dialog will confirm your choice.
Special Notes for Memory Bars
Note that the bars show only an "approximation" of the memory they represent, and not an exact amount. For example, if a bar happens to show that no memory is available, that doesn't necessarily mean that there's absolutely no memory left. But it does mean that you may be getting close to running out of memory and having trouble.
Also note that while in Finder, the Application memory bar almost always shows full. This may be misleading and does not mean that Finder cannot function. As long as there's unused system memory, Finder will function normally. The Finder will warn you and take necessary action if there isn't enough memory left for it to function correctly.
Known Problems
Memory Bars is believed to be stable and free of any serious problems. However, there are some oddities that you should be aware of:
Choosing Colors & Low Memory: Memory Bars needs its "preferred" amount of memory (75k) in order to use the Color Picker to set the bar colors. If Memory Bars has access to less memory, it will still function, but you won't be able to set the bar colors.
Drawing Delay: There may be a short delay from the time a program switches until the menu bar animates. Also, the memory bars may disappear momentarily from time to time. This is purely cometic, and repairing it would cause serious compatibility problems.
AfterDark® Compatibility: Memory Bars will draw the bars when the screen is blanked using AfterDark's "demo" mode. Memory Bars will not draw the bars, however, when AfterDark blanks the screen normally.
Memory Bar Accuracy: The bars may not be 100% accurate, nor are they intended to be. Thier purpose it to give you a general idea of your Mac's memory status, not a precise picture. See "Special Notes for Memory Bars" above.
In the event you have a serious problem with Memory Bars, please contact us and tell us what went wrong. We will do our best to try to help resolve any problems with Memory Bars. Reporting any problems you may be having will help ensure that these problems get corrected in future versions.
The Credits
Thanks to the folks on GEnie's Apple II, Macintosh, and PowerPC RoundTables. Memory Bars simply would not exist if it wasn't for thier support.
Version History
Memory Bars 1.0 Released January 3rd, 1996
0riginal release version
Disclaimers
DISCLAMER AND LIMITATION OF WARRANTY AND LIABILITY:
NEITHER I, GREG BETZEL, NOR SNAKEBYTE SOFTWARE, NOR ANY OF THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PRODUCT IN ANY WAY WILL BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSS OF ANY KIND THAT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH, RELATED TO, OR CAUSED BY THIS PRODUCT. THIS PRODUCT IS SUPPLIED AS IS WITH NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER. ANY AND ALL RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING OR ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PRODUCT IN ANY WAY ARE ENTIRELY THAT OF THE USER.
Apple, Macintosh, Mac, and MacOS are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. AfterDark is a registered trademark of Berkeley Systems. GEnie and RoundTable are
registered trademarks and service marks of General Electric Corp. PowerPC is a registered trademark of International Business Machines. Other trademarks and registered trademarks are held by their respective owners.
