Using Memory Compression to Reduce Memory Commit Charge

A method of reducing an amount of memory commit for a program in a computing device, the method comprising:

• determining that one or more memory pages of the program are to be accessed, the program having had at least part of its memory commit released;
• attempting to re-obtain the memory commit for at least the one or more memory pages of the program;
• allowing, in response to the attempt to re-obtain the memory commit being successful, the one or more memory pages to be accessed;
• and
• terminating and re-launching, in response to the attempt to re-obtain the memory commit being unsuccessful, the program.

A computing device including a memory management system configured to conserve memory commit in the computing device, the memory management system comprising:

• a program termination preparation module configured to:
• determine that a program is in a state from which the program can be terminated, an amount of memory having been committed to the program, the amount of memory being a memory commit for the program, a subset of the amount of memory committed to the program having been used by the program, and the amount of memory committed to the program including multiple memory pages;
• have the content of the memory pages in the subset of memory used by the program compressed;
• determine an amount of the memory commit for the program that can be released;
• and
• release, after the subset of memory used by the program has been compressed, the determined amount of memory commit for the program;
• and
• a program access module configured to, after release of the commit charge for the amount of memory that can be released:
• determine that one or more memory pages of the program are to be accessed;
• attempt to re-obtain the memory commit for at least the one or more memory pages of the program;
• allow, in response to the attempt to re-obtain the memory commit being successful, the one or more memory pages to be accessed;
• and
• terminate and re-launch, in response to the attempt to re-obtain the memory commit being unsuccessful, the program.