Turning on virtual memory is tricking the computer into believing that some if its hard drive space is really RAM memory. This is the reason why virtual memory is a control panel option on a Mac, it's a way to stretch the computer's existing resources. However, virtual memory is not a long term solution because, even though the computer is temporarily tricked, virtual memory just doesn't work as well as 'real' or 'physical' memory. As mentioned earlier in this course, hard drive memory is the place where the computer stores programs, documents, utilities, etc. Like Temporary RAM, the more hard drive memory available the better.
Gigabytes are the current largest measurement being used on computers.
Allocating Memory On a Macintosh it is possible to allocate more memory to a specific program than its default setting. The advantage of allocating more memory to a program is that it allows the computer to devote more of its temporary RAM resources to the program. By allocating more memory resources to the program, the computer has plenty of 'room' to do the calculations it requires to perform the program's functions. This is especially helpful when using complicated graphics programs, or large programs suites such as those in Microsoft Office. Single click on the program's icon.