# RAM use and conservation



## Awesome Wells (Jan 16, 2014)

I heard of an app called CleanMaster whic i've installed. It seems quite a good way of optimising the system/dealing with junk files. You know, the sort of stuff that's common practice on a PC that i'm starting to learn about on a tablet.

I seem to have about 50% of my RAM in use all the time. The device uses a lot of stuff so how do I go about locking down the stuff I don't need running, and determining safely what should be locked down. Some of it is apps i want to use (i have a google mail and outlook widget running for example), but there's all sorts of sync/push stuff, as well as apps that are came with the device i won't ever use that can't be uninstalled. CleanMaster lets you terminate stuff to free up RAM, but it can't (AFAICT) keep that stuff locked.

Thanks.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 16, 2014)

Android manages memory ok and will clear space as you need it. What's the point in having that ram if you don't use it? 

Some of those apps can cause you more hassle than there worth.


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## Fez909 (Jan 16, 2014)

Get Greenify is you want stuff to not be syncing all the time. GS is right on Android RAM management, though. It's fine and doesn't need any external apps.


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## Awesome Wells (Jan 17, 2014)

Perhaps i've read one too many android app articles.

What about security stuff? Do i need virus/mal/spyware protection? Firewalls?


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## stuff_it (Jan 17, 2014)

*look at me - I haz new tablet*


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## stuff_it (Jan 17, 2014)

Anything that applies to phones applies to tablets - you need to at least get one of the free AVs available. AVG, BitDefender, etc all have free offerings on Android.


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## Supine (Jan 17, 2014)

The nice thing about tablets is you don't need to piss around fiddling with stuff. The kind of stuff that's essential to keep a PC running.


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## joustmaster (Jan 17, 2014)

as long as you are only installing from Play, and you check the permissions of new apps, then you don't really need AV on android


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## beesonthewhatnow (Jan 17, 2014)

stuff_it said:


> Anything that applies to phones applies to tablets - you need to at least get one of the free AVs available.


No you don't.


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## stuff_it (Jan 17, 2014)

beesonthewhatnow said:


> No you don't.


You really should, there's been a huge rise in the amount of Android malware and of course most people regularly plug their phones and tablets into their Windows PC. Pretty easy to end up passing stuff on even if you don't catch anything that affects the device.


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## prunus (Jan 17, 2014)

Android is based on unix-style memory management, so memory 'in use' isn't necessarily actually in use at any given time, it's just that there's been no need to free up the memory since its last use, as the system hasn't needed it. This makes it more efficient as if you do start using whatever app it was using that area of memory again it won't have to reload it. So basically don't worry about it. The app you're using to 'optimise' probably uses more resources than it effectively frees...

IMO, anyway.


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## dervish (Jan 17, 2014)

stuff_it said:


> You really should, there's been a huge rise in the amount of Android malware and of course most people regularly plug their phones and tablets into their Windows PC. Pretty easy to end up passing stuff on even if you don't catch anything that affects the device.



No, you really shouldn't. Google is very good at stopping malware, there are multiple layers of protection, all android devices are sandboxed so one app cannot access others data, google has multiple methods of verifying the apps are clean, especially if they are coming from the play store, even if you sideload an app it's signature will be sent to google to be checked and there will be a warning if it is dodgy. If you still get infected it's because you ignored multiple warnings. 

More info here

Obviously you can add antivirus if you want to, it won't do any harm, but it won't significantly add to your protection either.


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## stuff_it (Jan 17, 2014)

dervish said:


> No, you really shouldn't. Google is very good at stopping malware, there are multiple layers of protection, all android devices are sandboxed so one app cannot access others data, google has multiple methods of verifying the apps are clean, especially if they are coming from the play store, even if you sideload an app it's signature will be sent to google to be checked and there will be a warning if it is dodgy. If you still get infected it's because you ignored multiple warnings.
> 
> More info here
> 
> Obviously you can add antivirus if you want to, it won't do any harm, but it won't significantly add to your protection either.


I know tons of people who install unverified apps, and app verification won't relate to any other files you have stored on your phone. Just because your android device is unlikely to get infected it doesn't mean it can't carry or pass on an infection. Same with Linux. You'd be daft not to scan your devices.


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## joustmaster (Jan 17, 2014)

stuff_it said:


> I know tons of people who install unverified apps, and app verification won't relate to any other files you have stored on your phone. Just because your android device is unlikely to get infected it doesn't mean it can't carry or pass on an infection. Same with Linux. You'd be daft not to scan your devices.


Android has scanned unverified apps since 4.2


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## stuff_it (Jan 17, 2014)

joustmaster said:


> Android has scanned unverified apps since 4.2


It's not just an app running machine, it's a storage device as well. You can inadvertently download infected files and even transfer USB virii with an Android device. Any extra level of protection against this is worthwhile, especially as it's free off most of the major AV companies.


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## Sunray (Jan 17, 2014)

Apart from AV, all those 'cleaning' and 'improvement' apps for any platform are snake oil in my opinion.

If your RAM isn't 100% in use, then something is wrong as its the fastest and most expensive storage there is in a computer.  It might not register as such but that is because the OS is pulling the strings and can free it up at a moments notice.


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## joustmaster (Jan 17, 2014)

Sunray said:


> Apart from AV, all those 'cleaning' and 'improvement' apps for any platform are snake oil in my opinion.
> 
> If your RAM isn't 100% in use, then something is wrong as its the fastest and most expensive storage there is in a computer.  It might not register as such but that is because the OS is pulling the strings and can free it up at a moments notice.


snake oil is spot on.


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## dervish (Jan 17, 2014)

stuff_it said:


> It's not just an app running machine, it's a storage device as well. You can inadvertently download infected files and even transfer USB virii with an Android device. Any extra level of protection against this is worthwhile, especially as it's free off most of the major AV companies.



But the antivirus apps are not even that good at finding or removing any malware on the phone in the first place. Especially the free ones, I don't know of any android antivirus that can remove windows virii, certainly not anything I would trust. 

If you don't want virii on your windows machine get a decent antivirus on that instead, it will be tons more effective.


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## stuff_it (Jan 17, 2014)

dervish said:


> But the antivirus apps are not even that good at finding or removing any malware on the phone in the first place. Especially the free ones, I don't know of any android antivirus that can remove windows virii, certainly not anything I would trust.
> 
> If you don't want virii on your windows machine get a decent antivirus on that instead, it will be tons more effective.


Scan everything with everything and you still may not find stuff, but at least you've tried.


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## 8ball (Jan 17, 2014)

I have some unused RAM on my laptop which I had re-furbished and I'm currently renting it out to a small family of penguins.


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## stuff_it (Jan 17, 2014)

8ball said:


> I have some unused RAM on my laptop which I had re-furbished and I'm currently renting it out to a small family of penguins.


You tight bastard, give them an upgrade!!


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## dervish (Jan 17, 2014)

stuff_it said:


> Scan everything with everything and you still may not find stuff, but at least you've tried.



Or don't use windows...


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## stuff_it (Jan 17, 2014)

dervish said:


> Or don't use windows...


I use a lot of software where the options are Windows, Mac or WINE/VM nightmare.


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## Awesome Wells (Jan 17, 2014)

> It's all a far cry from small boys in the park, BBC microcomputers for goal posts, one person in the class whose dad owns one and knows how to make it run "brian is skill" in a loop on the screen.
> 
> Spectrum versus Commodore wasn't it, you know? Rubber keys, tape machine loading, white noise, isn't it?
> 
> Marvellous.


 
- Ram Manager


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## Awesome Wells (Jan 17, 2014)

stuff_it said:


> *look at me - I haz new tablet*


Damn straight motherfucker!


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## Awesome Wells (Jan 18, 2014)

So, if an antivirus/malware app is to be required, which is best? I would prefer one that doesn't want to run all the time. If i want to use it i will activate it and do a scan or a search. That's how I do stuff on my PC. I can't stadn the way some of these programmes take over your life.


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## 8ball (Jan 18, 2014)

stuff_it said:


> You tight bastard, give them an upgrade!!


 
It's obvious from that clip that it's DDR.


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## 8ball (Jan 18, 2014)

Awesome Wells said:


> So, if an antivirus/malware app is to be required, which is best? I would prefer one that doesn't want to run all the time. If i want to use it i will activate it and do a scan or a search. That's how I do stuff on my PC. I can't stadn the way some of these programmes take over your life.


 
I use Adaware - it's free , doesn't use up mad amounts of resources, and the reviews looked reasonable when I installed it.


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