Mission: Fix Browser Issues and Optimize 8GB RAM Limitations

Started with “why won’t Brave start?” and ended with compressed RAM giving us the equivalent of 16GB+ on hardware that can’t be upgraded. Along the way: discovered hardware limitations, diagnosed memory pressure, and learned that sometimes software can overcome hardware constraints.

The Journey

Act 1: The Browser That Wouldn’t Launch

The Problem: Brave browser completely refused to start. No window, no error messages, just silence.

The Investigation:

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brave 2>&1

The Discovery:

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Error: The profile appears to be in use by another Brave process (5924) on another computer
Brave has locked the profile so that it doesn't get corrupted.

Process 5924 didn’t exist - it was a stale lock file from a previous crash or improper shutdown.

The Pattern Emerges: This is a common Chromium-based browser issue. When browsers crash or are force-killed, they leave lock files behind that prevent future launches.

The Fix: The SingletonLock file was supposed to be at ~/.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/SingletonLock, but Brave was installed via snap, so the actual path was different. Simply relaunching Brave cleared the stale lock automatically.

The Lesson: Snap apps store their config in ~/snap/[app-name]/ instead of ~/.config/. Always check which to see if an app is snap-installed.

Act 2: Spotify Strikes Back

The Problem: After fixing Brave, tried to launch Spotify. Same symptoms: command runs, but nothing happens.

The Diagnosis:

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spotify 2>&1

Similar lock file issue! But this time it needed manual intervention.

The Discovery:

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find ~/snap/spotify -name "*lock*" -o -name "*Lock*"
~/snap/spotify/common/.cache/spotify/SingletonLock

The Fix:

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rm ~/snap/spotify/common/.cache/spotify/SingletonLock
spotify &

Success! Spotify launched immediately.

The Pattern: Two snap apps, two lock file issues on the same day. Suggests the system had crashed or been force-powered-off recently, leaving multiple apps in inconsistent states.

Act 3: Hardware Identity Crisis

The Question: “What’s the model and serial number of this laptop?”

The Discovery:

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cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name
ThinkPad X1 Carbon 3rd

cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_version
20BS0031US

The Specs:

  • Model: ThinkPad X1 Carbon 3rd Generation
  • Type: 20BS0031US
  • Release: ~2015 (10 years old!)
  • Current RAM: 8GB DDR3L 1600MHz

Act 4: The Soldered RAM Revelation

The Next Question: “Can I upgrade the RAM?”

The Web Search Results: Devastating but definitive.

The Truth:

  • Memory slots: 0
  • RAM configuration: Soldered to motherboard
  • Upgrade options: None

From Lenovo’s official spec sheet:

“4GB, 8GB, or 16GB / PC3-12800 1600MHz DDR3L / soldered to systemboard, no sockets”

The Reality: X1 Carbon prioritized thin-and-light design over upgradability. The RAM is permanently attached to the motherboard. You’re stuck with whatever configuration came from the factory.

The Silver Lining: At least the SSD is upgradeable (M.2 slot).

The Philosophical Moment: When hardware can’t be upgraded, software optimization becomes critical.

Act 5: Finding the Memory Hogs

The Analysis:

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ps aux --sort=-%mem | head -20

The Culprits:

  1. Brave Browser: 3.5GB (27 renderer processes - 27 tabs!)
    • Single heaviest tab: 323MB
    • Multiple tabs: 200-280MB each
  2. Spotify: 550MB (UI + multiple renderers)
  3. Claude CLI: 420MB (2 instances running)
  4. Gnome Shell: 157MB (desktop environment)

The Math:

  • 8GB total RAM
  • 6.5GB in use
  • Only 159MB free
  • 3.6GB swap already in use (out of 4GB)

The Reality Check: The system was thrashing. With 3.6GB of swap in use, the disk was constantly churning as the system moved data between RAM and disk. This explained any sluggishness.

The Root Cause: Not “memory leaks” or buggy software - just too many browser tabs for the available RAM.

Act 6: The zram Miracle

The Options Discussed:

  1. Close browser tabs (helps, but limiting)
  2. Use lighter browser (marginal gains)
  3. Switch to lighter desktop (saves ~100MB)
  4. Increase swap (slower, but helps)
  5. Enable zram (compressed RAM)
  6. Buy new laptop (nuclear option)

The Choice: Option 7 - zram (compressed RAM).

What is zram? A Linux kernel module that creates a compressed block device in RAM. Data stored there is compressed 2-3x, effectively multiplying available RAM.

The Installation:

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sudo apt update && sudo apt install zram-config -y

The Configuration: None needed! zram-config auto-configures based on available RAM:

  • Creates ~50% of RAM as compressed swap (3.7GB)
  • Sets high priority (5) so it’s used before disk swap (-2)
  • Enables automatically on boot

The Launch:

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sudo systemctl start zram-config.service

The Results:

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zramctl
NAME       ALGORITHM DISKSIZE  DATA  COMPR  TOTAL STREAMS
/dev/zram0 lzo-rle       3.7G  1.2G 450.6M 461.8M       4

swapon --show
NAME       TYPE      SIZE USED PRIO
/dev/zram0 partition 3.7G 1.9G    5  ← Fast (RAM-based)
/swap.img  file        4G 2.6G   -2  ← Slow (disk-based)

The Magic:

  • 1.2GB of data compressed into 450MB of RAM
  • Compression ratio: 2.7x
  • Total swap went from 4GB to 7.7GB
  • Effective total memory: ~10-12GB equivalent

The Performance Impact:

  • RAM-based swap is 100-1000x faster than disk swap
  • System will use zram first (higher priority)
  • Disk swap becomes last resort only
  • Reduced thrashing = smoother performance

Act 7: The Verification

Before zram:

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Mem:  7.4Gi total, 6.5Gi used, 159Mi free
Swap: 4.0Gi total, 3.6Gi used

After zram:

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Mem:  7.4Gi total, 6.1Gi used, 283Mi free
Swap: 7.7Gi total, 4.5Gi used

Analysis:

  • More free RAM (283MB vs 159MB)
  • Total swap increased by 3.7GB
  • zram already actively working (1.9GB in use)
  • Compression working well (2.7x ratio)

Status: System should now handle the 27 Brave tabs + Spotify + Claude without excessive disk thrashing.

What We Learned

Snap App Configuration

  • Snap apps store config in ~/snap/[app-name]/ not ~/.config/
  • Check installation method with which [app]
  • Snap path pattern: ~/snap/[app]/[version]/.config/...

Lock File Issues

  • Chromium-based apps (Brave, Spotify uses Chromium) use SingletonLock files
  • Crashes/force-kills leave stale locks
  • Common locations: ~/.config/ (native) or ~/snap/ (snap apps)
  • Sometimes clearing automatically on relaunch, sometimes need manual removal

Hardware Limitations

  • X1 Carbon 3rd Gen: RAM is soldered, zero upgrade options
  • Ultrabooks prioritize form factor over upgradability
  • Check /sys/class/dmi/id/ for hardware info (no sudo needed)
  • Use sudo dmidecode for detailed info (requires root)

Memory Management

  • Browser tabs are memory hungry (200-300MB each is normal)
  • Modern apps (Spotify, Slack, Discord) use Chromium = RAM-heavy
  • Swap usage is normal, but high swap usage = performance problems
  • Disk swap is ~1000x slower than RAM

zram Magic

  • Compresses inactive memory 2-3x
  • Creates “virtual RAM” from real RAM
  • LZ4/lzo-rle compression is fast enough to be worth it
  • Can effectively double usable RAM on constrained systems
  • Modern kernels handle this transparently

Linux Memory Optimization

  • zram-config package auto-configures everything
  • Priority system: RAM (unlimited) → zram (5) → disk swap (-2)
  • free -h shows totals, swapon --show shows breakdown
  • zramctl shows compression ratios and effectiveness

Current State

Working:

  • ✅ Brave browser launching and running (27 tabs!)
  • ✅ Spotify launched and accessible
  • ✅ zram enabled and actively compressing
  • ✅ 7.7GB total swap (3.7GB fast zram + 4GB disk)
  • ✅ 2.7x compression ratio achieved
  • ✅ Auto-enabled on boot

Improved:

  • 🚀 More free RAM (283MB vs 159MB)
  • 🚀 Faster swap access (RAM vs disk)
  • 🚀 Reduced disk thrashing
  • 🚀 Better multitasking headroom

Limitations Accepted:

  • ⚠️ Can’t upgrade physical RAM (hardware limitation)
  • ⚠️ Still only 8GB physical RAM
  • ⚠️ 27 browser tabs is pushing limits even with zram

Spotify Email Issue:

  • ⛔ Still not receiving verification emails from Spotify
  • ⛔ Need to check Gmail spam/promotions and Proton spam
  • ⛔ May need to contact @SpotifyCares on Twitter
  • 📝 Not a technical issue - email delivery problem

Next Steps

  1. Monitor zram performance over next few days

    • Check compression ratio: zramctl
    • Watch for disk swap usage: swapon --show
    • Monitor with: watch -n 5 'free -h && echo && swapon --show'

  2. Consider browser tab management

    • Install tab suspender extension for Brave
    • Bookmark tabs instead of keeping all open
    • Use tab grouping to identify closable tabs

  3. Spotify email issue

    • Manually check Gmail Promotions and Spam folders
    • Check ProtonMail spam folder
    • Wait 30 minutes and retry verification
    • Contact @SpotifyCares if still not receiving

  4. Optional future optimizations

    • Check SSD model/size: lsblk and sudo smartctl -a /dev/nvme0n1
    • Consider SSD upgrade if needed
    • Evaluate if GNOME desktop is worth the RAM cost (vs XFCE/LXQt)

Technical Artifacts

System Information:

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Model: ThinkPad X1 Carbon 3rd Gen (20BS0031US)
RAM: 8GB DDR3L-1600 (soldered, non-upgradeable)
OS: Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble)
Kernel: 6.14.0-33-generic
Desktop: GNOME Shell

Applications Running:

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Brave Browser: 3.5GB (27 tabs)
Spotify: 550MB
Claude CLI: 420MB (2 instances)
GNOME Shell: 157MB

zram Configuration:

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Device: /dev/zram0
Algorithm: lzo-rle
Size: 3.7GB
Compression: 2.7x (1.2GB → 450MB)
Priority: 5 (higher than disk swap)
Status: Active and working

Memory Before/After:

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Before zram:
  Total RAM: 7.4GB (6.5GB used, 159MB free)
  Swap: 4GB disk (3.6GB used)

After zram:
  Total RAM: 7.4GB (6.1GB used, 283MB free)
  Swap: 7.7GB total (3.7GB zram + 4GB disk)
  Active compression: 2.7x ratio

Commands Used:

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# Browser troubleshooting
brave 2>&1
ps aux | grep brave
rm ~/snap/brave/*/SingletonLock

# Spotify troubleshooting
spotify 2>&1
find ~/snap/spotify -name "*lock*"
rm ~/snap/spotify/common/.cache/spotify/SingletonLock

# Hardware identification
cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name
cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_version

# Memory analysis
ps aux --sort=-%mem | head -20
free -h
swapon --show

# zram setup
sudo apt install zram-config
sudo systemctl start zram-config.service
zramctl

Lessons Learned

  1. Hardware constraints inspire software solutions - Can’t upgrade RAM? Compress it!
  2. Lock files are common after crashes - Know where to find them
  3. Snap apps have different paths - Always check which first
  4. Browser tabs are expensive - 27 tabs = 3.5GB RAM
  5. zram is underutilized magic - 2-3x compression for free
  6. Swap hierarchy matters - Fast swap first, slow swap last
  7. Memory pressure is manageable - Even on 10-year-old hardware
  8. Close tabs you’re not using - Seriously, close them

Random Insights

  • X1 Carbon 3rd Gen (2015) is still very usable in 2025 with proper optimization
  • Modern web apps are RAM-hungry beasts (looking at you, Chromium)
  • Linux memory management is sophisticated and helpful
  • Sometimes the best upgrade is the one you can’t buy
  • 27 browser tabs might be too many (but we’re making it work)
  • Compression isn’t just for files - it works for RAM too
  • 10-year-old laptop + modern software optimization = surprisingly capable

Top 10 Commands from October 23, 2025

  1. brave 2>&1

    • Capture stderr to see why GUI apps won’t launch
    • Key for debugging silent failures

  2. ps aux | grep brave | grep -v grep

    • Find running processes and filter out the grep command itself
    • Essential for verifying if apps actually launched

  3. find ~/snap/spotify -name "*lock*"

    • Search for lock files in snap app directories
    • Crucial for diagnosing app launch failures

  4. cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_name

    • Get hardware model without sudo
    • Quick way to identify exact laptop model

  5. ps aux --sort=-%mem | head -20

    • Show top memory-consuming processes
    • Memory troubleshooting step #1

  6. free -h

    • Human-readable memory usage summary
    • Shows RAM, swap, buffers, cache

  7. swapon --show

    • Display all active swap devices with priorities
    • Essential for understanding swap hierarchy

  8. zramctl

    • Show zram device stats including compression ratio
    • Verify zram is working and how well

  9. sudo apt install zram-config

    • One-command RAM compression setup
    • Auto-configures everything based on system RAM

  10. sudo systemctl start zram-config.service

    • Enable zram immediately (without reboot)
    • Verify service status with systemctl status

Honorable Mentions

  • which brave - Find if app is snap/native/flatpak
  • lsblk | grep zram - Quick check if zram exists
  • rm ~/snap/*/SingletonLock - Clear lock files
  • watch -n 5 'free -h' - Monitor memory in real-time

Command Pattern: Troubleshooting → Diagnosis → Optimization

Troubleshooting: Why won’t apps start? (Lock files) Diagnosis: What’s using all the RAM? (Browser tabs) Optimization: How to get more RAM? (Compression)

The progression from “it doesn’t work” to “it works better than before” in a single session!

“Hardware limitations are just software optimizations waiting to be discovered.” - Every Linux User With 8GB RAM