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To: Tim <Niy@extacy.homeip.net>
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From: Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org>
Date: 22 Dec 2004 19:36:16 -0500
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Subject: Re: Top loses memory over time? Memory leak?
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Tim <Niy@extacy.homeip.net> writes:

> This machine sat unattended all day. What could be causing the drastic
> drop in Free memory? Is this normal? When I actually use the machine,
> it's even worse... Almost all of my RAM goes from Free to other
> various states, Mostly Inactive, even after I've closed all the
> programs I've had open, rather quickly (maybe an hour or two)

See the FAQ, but basically the answer is 
"Free memory is wasted memory."