Appologies if this is a rehash; this must be an old topic but I don't seem to have the knack for searching these gnutella forums efficiently.

1. How much disk space does LW need?
Or is it more salient to ask the same question about Java? My understanding when I had much older versions of both, was that in running LW Java used a large and fluid amount of disk space. Is that still true?

2. Is there any way to limit how much space it can rob me of?
Lately if I use LW long enough it gradually reduces my available disk space from about 1.5GB down to as low as 400MB (the longer LW stays on, and connected, the worse it gets). My computer slows way down because it spends much of its time paused while the disk grinds along. I'm pretty ignorant about how OSX handles memory or allocates disk space, or whether those 2 things are even related. But I presume this incessant grinding the disk is doing means it's hunting around for, or rearranging, space.

Hopefully there's a generic answer to these 2 questions. But in case you desire more info:

I always keep my incomplete dl's tidy. LW rockets along nicely for the first [few hours? I've never timed this]. Even after the HD has one of its grinding fits, once it gets its bearings again then LW resumes rocketing along nicely for a while. If I disconnect LW then the disk space levels off where it is. If I quit LW then the space slowly rises to a workable level and things return to normal.

Often--maybe always--this space problem happens while I also have other app.s open, esp. Safari. I wonder if LW and Safari might be competing for disk space. I clear Safari's disk cache regularly.

G4 -- OSX 10.4.9 -- LW 4.12.3 -- Java 1.5.0_02 -- 384MB SDRAM
Avail. HD space varies from 1 GB to 2.5 GB before starting LW.