Protected memory

[AppleMatt]

We're all very aware that one of the biggest benefits of OS X is protected memory. I'm typing my report, listening to iTunes and getting my mail at the same time.

Let's say Word goes belly up, it crashes. In OS 9, my computer dies and I swear a lot. In OS X the system is unaffected and I carry on.

But what happens to that protected memory? Is it "released"? Do I need to log-out, or heavens forbid, restart?

AppleMatt

 

[daveL]

When a process dies, whether by design or because of an application error, the OS releases all resources assigned to the process, including memory, network connections, file descriptors, etc. You never have to think about it, period.

HTH

 

[AppleMatt]

DaveL,

As usual, excellent.

Cheers
AppleMatt