high memory usage fedora 3

[Chris Jones]

sid wrote:
> Hi..
> I am new to linux. I recently installed fedora 3 on my laptop (Dell
> latitude D600, 1.6 Ghz, 1 GB RAM and 1 GB swap).This a scenario that i
> face. i login into my system for about 30-40 minutes working with
> eclipse java ide, evolution, a couple of terminals and one or two other
> programs. The memory usage shoots to 90%...i close all applications. and
> open just one terminal to run top. I still see more than 70% memory
> usage. Why is this. Is there a problem with my installation or do you
> guys face the same problem?

What you are describing doesn't sound at all unusual to me and not a 
propblem. Memory management in linux is more complex than just the 
simple % usage you are getting from top.

Googling for 'memory top usage linux' give as one of the links

http://gentoo-wiki.com/FAQ_Linux_Memory_Management

for example. what you are seeing is probably the file cache. see what 
the free -m command gives you instead.

Chris