A memory management Question
A particular 32 bit application which I run routinely has known memory leaks. That is not the question.
The question is about OSX Memory Management.
Simply put, why does OSX go into the "spinning bech ball" mode when a 32 bit application hits 3.7 GB of memory, insead of 4 GB?
(This is on an 8 GB iMac running 10.8.4)
OSX is clearly "protecting itself" in that only that application (and Activity Monitor if it is running) are effected. Other apps continue to run normally.
If one attempts to Force quit the "spinning" app, it will take 30 - 45 minutes before it clears.
iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), iMac Core i7 2.93GHz 4GB