[iyonix-support] Re: Lazy Task Swapping on Iyonix/RISC OS 5.11

In article <587b683b4e.rogerarm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
   Roger Darlington <rogerarm@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On 14 Jun 2006, Paul Vigay wrote:
> > Is there a problem with Lazy Task Swapping on RISC OS 5 at all?
> > 
> > Every so often (been unable to definitively reproduce it in the past few
> > months!) my Iyonix (two I've tried it on - a standard one and an Aria
> > Cube) gets a single line of corrupted pixels across the backdrop
> > (generally 1/4 of the way down from the top of the screen) and soon
> > afterwards applications will start crashing with random errors. Something
> > appears to be corrupting memory.
> > 

> Would it help if we now had a
> SUMMARY:

YES to all below except where indicated.

> #) some people get HORIZONTAL  lines of pixels across the screen when 
> running (various) applications.

> #) Of those that do, ALL?? of us use a Spriite as backdrop. [please 
> contradict if this is in-correct].

> #) The size or over-size-ness of the sprite backdrop is irrelevant.

> #) We use various screen resolutions.

> #) The lines of extraneous pixels always results soon after in an 
> un-stable machine, with applications wanting to die.

I don't think this is necessarily true IME, but it could increase the chances
of a crash.  I have watched the pixel lines on the same screen for half an
hour or more, with no apparent ill-effects, but YMMV.

> #) If you continue using the computer after a line of pixels has 
> appeared, them more lines of pixels in different places will appear.

Not necessarily.  >2 or 3 lines on screen is rare, possibly non-existent
AFAICR.

> #) Swiping a window across the extraneous pixels fails to delete them.

> #) Switching Lazy Task Swapping to off prevents the extraneous pixels.

> #) The extraneous pixels could be fragments of an MP3 file from 
> buffered memory, OR they could be a LINE drawn using either INVERT, 
> OR, AND or EXOR (don't know which: invert, or, and, or exor)

They wouldn't be MP3s fragments in our case, because we use very few indeed.

> #) The lines of extraneous pixels can appear in various places on the 
> screen, but maybe always in the same particular places [please 
> contradict if this is in-correct].

No to the last bit.  I even tried to measure lengths and XY positions at one
point.  There was no repeat of position or length at any time.

> #) It has NOTHING to do with Aemulor.

May not be caused by Aemulor, but Aemulor seems to be a common factor with us.

> #) I ALWAYS get it whilst using !Variations plus OvPro together; 
> another person always gets it when using TextEase.

> #) A list of COMMON-TO-EVERYONE apps running when problem reported (so 
> far):
>     Organizer, Pop Star,

Eliminated. Neither run here on the afflicted machines.

> [please eliminate if you know otherwise. OvPro, Textease, Aemulor and 
> Variations are already eliminated, but that is not to say that they 
> don't initiate the problem. It is obvious to me that many apps do not 
> initiate the problem; but certain combinations of programs will: OvPro 
> on my machine without Variations will not initiate the problem; 
> Variations without OvPro will not initiate the problem, but the two 
> together will ALWAYS initiate the problem. This must be a clue?]

I can't eliminate this combination, but it has never been obvious if it is
true.  I will need to test for it.

> Does this help?

Can't hurt!

Gary

-- 
Gary Locock, Network Manager, Bablake Junior School
Coundon Road, Coventry CV1 4AU
School Website: http://www.bablakejs.co.uk
Private mail:  g a r y (at) l o c o c k . c o . u k

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