I like this app - it uses a measly 7mb RAM when not in use, when activated to reclaim memory that is unused but otherwise captured as "inactive," etc., things slow down for no more than a minute, oftentimes less, and this isn't a big deal for me. It's a good investment for those who are cash strapped for more RAM.*
What IS a big deal to me is this:
the undisclosed (keyword!), unannounced (keyword!), and uninvited (keyword!) eSellerate licensing mechanism it installs.
In your home directory, while scratching your head puzzled, navigate to
~/Application Support/eSellerate
and therein lies what we shall call politely "privacy invasive."
I'm quite respectful of terms of use, copyright licensing scheme, etc. that any developer chooses to apply to their software because, when I know what those terms are, I can just choose to not to use it if I don't agree with them.
I don't agree with an application installing frameworks that I don't explicitly consent to.
But nowhere along the way, from the Activata website to the point of download (I didn't buy the app outright, I used the TrialPay option which, as far as I know, has no affiliation with eSellerate) to the actual drag n drop install to finally, initial launch of the app is there any disclosure that anything other than the app in the Applications folder (or wherever it is you install it) will be installed as a result of using it.
I was not happy (Flip4Mac suffers the same syndrome, only it's a bit more of a security risk there as one has to enter an admin password to install as it installs system-wide plug-ins. see
/Library/Frameworks/TSLicense.framework
at least they got smart and removed all traces of an eSellerate connection by calling it TSLicense, but it's the same thing)
But, if you've purchased the app or went the TrialPay route, AND ONLY IF YOU'VE DONE ONE OF THOSE TWO THINGS (please don't steal software), there is a way to effectively deal with this problem in iFreeMem, nuke the eSellerate framework without breaking the app (because simply deleting the directory it installs in your home folder isn't enough, it regenerates with every app launch), and use this app that you've paid for, unencumbered by the nastiness of eSellerate licensing apparatus, which who knows could be doing more than ensuring copies in use are properly licensed
1. Make a duplicate of this file which holds your registration number (referred to as Serial No. in this file) and your User Name (this is not your Mac user name... presumably one must be picked at the traditional point of purchase? as mine was just listed as trialpayuser1234 and if you need to reinstall or something, reg number alone is not sufficient, you must have your user name as well):
~Library/Preferences/uk.co.activata.iFreeMem2.plist (on SnoLeo its iFreeMem3)
3. Check for and trash (empty securely, for greater satisfaction) these directories:
/Library/Frameworks/EWSMac.framework (I found this on my system but it may have been related to some other eSellerate app so you may or may not see this)
~/Library/Frameworks/EWSMac.framework (ditto above)
~/Library/Application Support/eSellerate (this should definitely be there)
4. Navigate to the Resources folder of the app; if you're not sure how to do this, just switch to Finder, under the Go menu choose Go To Folder and enter this path (assuming install was to Applications folder):
/Applications/iFreeMem.app/Contents/Resources
and delete this file: EWSMacCompress.tar.gz, again securely emptying for maximum satisfaction!
5. Restart the app. It will throw an error about not being able to install the eSellerate engine (oh now you tell us), just press ok. (And it will throw the error every time the app is started - I particularly don't care because I have set it as an item to launch on log in and it doesn't seem to keep boot from finishing until you press ok so no biggie for me).
This should do it. You can check to ensure you're properly registered by choosing the iFreeMem menu in the app... the Activate and Purchase items should be greyed out and the app shouldn't behave as if you need to register (ie: nag). If for some reason, you have to reinstall the app, since you've already purchased it, just install it and immediately do Step 4. If you're installing onto another Mac, do Step 4 and drop a copy of the preferences file you backed up in Step 1 into your Preferences folder.
And that's it. Again, this will only work for users who have properly obtained a legitimate license. If you don't want to pay, sign up for the ridiculously easy TrialPay option for which I didn't shell out one penny for any of the offers and actually got like 20 free downloads from emusic.com of some good stuff.
FOOTNOTE:
* I first started using this app two years ago with Leopard on a MB 3,1 which came with 1 gig RAM default. At that time (and currently, as of 06.14.10, for SnoLeo as well), this is what Apple recommended for memory:
- Word processing, email, simple graphics: 1GB
- Advanced graphics and gaming, photo editing: 2GB
- Multimedia editing, 3-D modeling: 2GB+
(source: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/memory )
The first set on that list describes my everyday, ordinary use of my MacBook. (And one can only logically assume that the default amount of memory included is enough to power at least Apple's default applications. And, granted, I do use the Hummer of browsers Fx instead of the more Prius-like Safari.) Still, on a typical day my 1 gig system after a couple hours - some web browsing (with no Flash, I would disable the plugin entirely), doing some writing with Bean (specifically because its footprint is so small), reading some PDF's in Preview, running my schedule in iCal, watching a local QT movie, with no more than 3 apps open at once and always closing windows and quitting apps not in use - would still slow noticeably; I could quit any open apps, restart Finder, and still, memory was all stuck in inactive and only a reboot would remedy the situation. Draw your own conclusions and form your own opinion as to why these recommendations are as low as they are, but I'm not willing to even try putting SnoLeo on my now 2gig MacBook, let alone 1gig.