Re: Remove unused built in apps?

Daniel Finn wrote:
> On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 11:49:16 -0500, Daniel Finn
> <musqlar.NO@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 09:35:29 -0700, "Tinman"
>> <mlynch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>>> Daniel Finn wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sorry for any confusion I may have created
>>>>
>>>
>>> No apology needed. In fact, kudos for clarifying the issue. Do you
>>> by any chance use Pocket Tunes Deluxe?
>>>
>>> I'm interested in the streaming and DRM ability (I can't believe I
>>> just wrote "interested" and "DRM" in the same sentence). As I like
>>> to tinker anyway, another ROM might be in order!
>>
>> Just the basic version, but I am really thinking of streaming as
>> well.
>>
>>
>
> Well, I went ahead and got the data package from AT&T(Blue) and am now
> testing out shoutcast with PocketTunes Delux 3.1.1 and I must say, it
> rocks! Although in this case I use it for Celtic music. :-) Battery
> life really sucks though, going from full to 60% in the 2.5 hours I'm
> in the gym. Quality is good, connection is good, it is all good.
> Again, I am running PocketTunes 3.1.1 in ROM as well, so it will
> definately work with streaming media.
>

Thanks for the update. Alas I've done a 180 on my opinion of custom
ROMs. I used to take out what I didn't need, and then add stuff I
thought more important.

Now I just remove the stuff from "ROM"--and don't replace it with
anything. I did this after finally understanding just how NVFS works,
and dealing with the ^%$*&# dbcache.

It seems that the 32 MB NVFS stores the zipped ROM image (e.g., a 9 MB
zipped file). The remaining NVFS space is what we see as "memory" by the
OS (free space), and where we load apps onto the device. But
essentially, this is just like a 32 MB hard drive.

Meanwhile there is 32 MB of actual RAM, which we never quite get to see
directly (well, you can via some utilities). After updating to a new
ROM, or after a hard-reset, the zipped ROM in NVFS is unzipped into this
real RAM. If the unzipped ROM is 22 MB in size, that leaves 10 MB for
dbcache.

Since every app is actually run in real RAM (either via the copied ROM
image, or by apps copied on-the-fly into dbcache), there is little point
in saving NVFS space. In other words, I don't really care if my Treo
only has 3 MBs free NVFS space--though it doesn't at the moment--as that
has no bearing on dbcache (i.e., I'll still have 10 MB of true RAM
available to run apps).

But if I *remove* unneeded (non OS or phone crucial) apps from my ROM,
and do not add anything else, I end up with a smaller ROM. So when this
is unzipped into RAM, it will take less space--leaving room for a larger
dbcache (and indeed this is what happened). It's sort of like using the
memory slider on a PPC to utilize more RAM for "Program Memory."

If I desire, I can then add any of the apps I want to NVFS, even one or
two I've removed from ROM. This allows those apps to reside on the
device in one place only (instead of in the zipped ROM image in NVFS as
well as in the real RAM's pseudo "ROM"). I can then load-up NVFS as much
as I want(?), as the real RAM is where apps are actually running.

I'm not positive about this part, but I believe my NVFS space increases
as well. It's not as obvious since the apps that are removed from "ROM"
are contained in the zip file in the NVFS "disk" (e.g., a 65 KB app
removed from ROM might be only 6 KB after being zipped, which might
cause the zipped ROM to still occupy the same NVFS space--but RAM space
is still reduced by the full 65 KB). Not that I would do any of this for
65 KB. ;-)

But by doing this, I've increased my dbcache size. I also use Resco
Locker to lock a few small, but important (and often updated) apps in
dbcache. Locking an app in dbcache is almost(?) the same as having the
app in "ROM" (which is really just RAM). But I can unlock apps at will,
and it makes updating easier (e.g. no need to create a new ROM to update
an app). Finally, I use the Dbcache tool to help manage--and clear when
needed--dbcache.

This has improved the stability of my Treo. For example, I have Resco
Backup perform nightly backups at 2 AM--and this works fine. But I also
have Pocket Express set to auto-update content at 3 AM. My Pocket
Express updates, after setting Resco Backup to perform its backups
automatically, stopped working reliably (though I could still update
manually).

After installing DBCache Tool, I deliberately looked at what was going
on. It appears that the backup app left dbcache rather full, and for
some reason--even though it was an hour later--Pocket Express didn't
run. But now, with Auto Clear in DBCache Tool turned on, I can see that
right before PE runs, the message "DBCache:Clear processing..." pops up
(takes about 5-6 seconds to complete!). Then, PE runs and updates
without issue.

I believe this is because after the scheduled backup completes the
device turns off (obviously) with Resco Backup still loaded. When PE
turns the Treo back on (switching apps), DBCache Tool clears the
dbcache. If I perform a manual backup within Resco Backup, and leave my
Treo on, simply leaving the backup app (even to go back to my launcher)
will trigger a dbcache clear. This only occurs if I actually perform a
restore or backup. Just launching Resco Backup and changing a few
settings or whatnot does not seem to trigger a dbcache flush (which, I
would assume, is being controlled by the settings in DBCache Tool).

I'm still not done tweaking it, as the cache is cleared a bit too often
for my taste (based on my settings within DBCache Tool). But the system
does appear more stable now than it was before.

Oh yea, I brought this up because MobiTV, a data-intensive streaming
app, seems to have less "let's stop and refill the buffer!" issues.
Don't know if it's just a coincidence, but it seems that pauses within
MobiTV have diminished by about 80%. Again, this could just be a
coincidence--and the pauses are still annoying enough that I probably
will cancel MobiTV if they continue even at this rate (IMO, it ain't
worth $10 a month for a handful of channels; combined with the
buffering/pausing issues). For the record, I'm with SPCS.


--
Mike


.

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