I am amazed at Android's rather foolish decisions. From notifications always interrupting music playback, to the odd bugs I encounter "see my messaging topic on Samsung Captivate general", to this one. Apps do not have a default location setting. They all can locate themselves wherever they want. So, your Android SD (oh yeah, another foolish choice, calling the phone's memory SD. Then, your SD Card gets to be "External SD". Totally unnecessary of Google. I mean, the app "App2SD" doesn't make any Android sense. It should say "App2ExternalSD". Anyway, where was I?)
So, your Android SD is filled with random, unimportant for root level folders. Your DCIM is located right next to a bunch of random folders! Why is there not a "Program Files" option for Android, where Google FORCES these folders into a subfolder group, so that you can not only locate them easier, but they are not cluttering up your SD.
So, do you guys think is this a good idea? And if so, where can I go to have this heard by Android devs?
thehyecircus said:
Apps do not have a default location setting.
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They have: /data/data/<package_name>/. This is main directory for app data or "program files" as you call it.
thehyecircus said:
Why is there not a "Program Files" option for Android, where Google FORCES these folders into a subfolder group
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Because this isn't an iPhone. If you want to force developers to use only right way of storing files on SD, then go for devices from Apple.
SD card is a general, unmanaged medium for storing files, so it shouldn't force anything. Of course it's better to have clean directory structure and this is why Google and some other developers use /sdcard/Android/<package_name>/ dir for their files.
If some app doesn't use above scheme, then you could write a comment or rate it low - this is the way of openness.
thehyecircus said:
oh yeah, another foolish choice, calling the phone's memory SD. Then, your SD Card gets to be "External SD". Totally unnecessary of Google. I mean, the app "App2SD" doesn't make any Android sense. It should say "App2ExternalSD"
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Err... who does call internal memory SD? For me SD was always just SD, and internal memory is internal memory, flash memory, system and data partitions, etc. As you have noticed there is apps2SD, not apps2ExternalSD, because everybody calls SD just SD. So what's your problem?
thehyecircus said:
I am amazed at Android's rather foolish decisions. From notifications always interrupting music playback, to the odd bugs I encounter "see my messaging topic on Samsung Captivate general", to this one. Apps do not have a default location setting. They all can locate themselves wherever they want. So, your Android SD (oh yeah, another foolish choice, calling the phone's memory SD. Then, your SD Card gets to be "External SD". Totally unnecessary of Google. I mean, the app "App2SD" doesn't make any Android sense. It should say "App2ExternalSD". Anyway, where was I?)
So, your Android SD is filled with random, unimportant for root level folders. Your DCIM is located right next to a bunch of random folders! Why is there not a "Program Files" option for Android, where Google FORCES these folders into a subfolder group, so that you can not only locate them easier, but they are not cluttering up your SD.
So, do you guys think is this a good idea? And if so, where can I go to have this heard by Android devs?
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Click to collapse
You have no idea what you are talking about, do you?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard
This is for standard linux but it the logic behind it applies to Android as well.
You know, TS has a point. Most applications write their data into /sdcard/<app>, whereas it would've been cleaner to do that in /sdcard/data/<app> (or, even better and in line with unix's defacto standard, in /mnt/sdcard/<app>). The SDCard's root is limited in the number of directory entries it can contain (due to the mandatory use of the FAT filesystem). Even though this currently may be a theoretical problem, it's messy and unorganized.
Some software really makes a mess out of it; Sygic for example creates 4 directories in /sdcard with the names "2577", "Drive", "Maps" and "Res". Not to mention the file(s) it creates in the root as part of the installation process. Now, that is plain silly.
Then there is the case-sensitivity in *IX that some programmer's don't seem to understand. And thus, there are directories /sdcard/Download, /sdcard/download and /sdcard/Downloads. Two of them are created by the firmware on the phone (you guessed it: "download" and "Downloads"). It just is a mess on our sdcards!
Using a wintendo-like naming convention ("Program Files" or "Program Data" or something similar) I would not advice. But /mnt/sdcard/data would've been a good start me thinks.
The other point TS is referring to... I think it's Samsung that introduced the idea of an "internal SD Card"? At least, that's what they call it - I don't know if it really just is a cheap design solution to put an SD Card in there for storage that can't be changed.
^I like that guy.
Is this the end of the discussion?
thehyecircus said:
Is this the end of the discussion?
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I think there is nothing to add:
There is your "program files" dir in the Android OS (/data/data).
Some apps want to store their files in public space in addition to "program files".
It would be nice if most of them would place their files in one root dir.
Some of them don't do that and you can't do anything with it.
That's it
I'd like to think Google could force them to locate their data somewhere else. And to add a .nomedia or whatever stops Android from picking up the app's media files. Really, a lot of things about Android feel like the whole thing is an afterthought.
Related
The rubbish way that MS implemented the file system in things like Pocket Word is beginning to irritate me. I have "My Documents" in the main memory and I have one on my SD Card. I put everything onto the SD card, but loads of apps have installed stuff like setting files and so on, into the main memory.
Now when I open Pocket Word, I get a huge list of everything in all directories.....how do I make things like Pocket Word/Excel NOT look in the My Documents directory in main memory, but only look in the one on the SD card?
Any hints would be really great.
As far as I know, it's not possible...or, at least, fiendishly difficult for ordinary mortals not working for MS or its preferred partners.
I did hours of googling, but had to accept that you need two "My Documents" folders, the MS one and one on your SD card.
Also, you need to reflect the same subfolders on your SD card, such as "My Library" for the least inconvenience.
Not the answer you're looking for, I know. If you find a better one, do fill the rest of us in, please.
Why is it when i install any program on memory card it goes to the main storage. Anyone has notice that on the HD2, is there a solution for this. Need your help please
buddaking said:
Why is it when i install any program on memory card it goes to the main storage. Anyone has notice that on the HD2, is there a solution for this. Need your help please
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i guess that when you install something on storage card some files like shortcut and registry files are sent in phone storage
mishufac said:
i guess that when you install something on storage card some files like shortcut and registry files are sent in phone storage
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ok....thanks for that info. so unfortunate there is no solution for this.
Errm what.
Hey Budda could you explain what you mean a little more here mate? i.e. how do you know that the application is being installed to the main memory rather than your SD card. Are you checking in 'my device\program files' in explorer (first to see that its in main memory) and then 'my device\storage card\program files' to see if it's on the SD?
Just so that you are aware in order to be able to see shortcuts in either the start menu or sense that shortcut MUST be in main memory in the 'my device\windows\start menu\programs' folder or you wont be able to launch the app easily. - These files are tiny, between 24 - 54 bytes, so very little impact on main memory. To put it in perspective you would need ~18000 of them to take up just 1MB!
The registry also lives in main memory although in all reality doesn't take up much space adding the odd key here and there. (again the odd few bytes)
Some applications NEED to install some files to 'my device\windows' in order to function correctly, again this is not something which can be stopped.
BTW - Any app I install to my storage card does in fact go there (with the exception of parts of the programs I have mentioned above) So in answer to your original question, no I don't see the problem at all.
Prime_Directive said:
Hey Budda could you explain what you mean a little more here mate? i.e. how do you know that the application is being installed to the main memory rather than your SD card. Are you checking in 'my device\program files' in explorer (first to see that its in main memory) and then 'my device\storage card\program files' to see if it's on the SD?
Just so that you are aware in order to be able to see shortcuts in either the start menu or sense that shortcut MUST be in main memory in the 'my device\windows\start menu\programs' folder or you wont be able to launch the app easily. - These files are tiny, between 24 - 54 bytes, so very little impact on main memory. To put it in perspective you would need ~18000 of them to take up just 1MB!
The registry also lives in main memory although in all reality doesn't take up much space adding the odd key here and there. (again the odd few bytes)
Some applications NEED to install some files to 'my device\windows' in order to function correctly, again this is not something which can be stopped.
BTW - Any app I install to my storage card does in fact go there (with the exception of parts of the programs I have mentioned above) So in answer to your original question, no I don't see the problem at all.
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Well that was a bit brutal...
Actually I kind of know what he's saying.. I've found with a few (eg. Experiment 13) they over ride and install to the handset memory anyway. I thought it might be down to it needing the extra speed, might be wrong. I do agree in a whole tho, most apps do install bits 'n' bobs on the handset but hardly worth worrying about (from a storage point of view anyway)
My SD (the one on the Android, not the SD Card, why the hell did they name it SD?!) is full of junk. In fact, it comes with a load of junk by default.
How do I:
1. Get Android to not pull videos, pictures, and music from games? My gallery, video player, doubletwist, etc is full of stuff like that.
2. Know what I can delete and what I can't? I'd like to clean this place up.
3. How do I find stuff? I mean, is it up to me to make "Music" "Pictures" "Videos" folders for my own sake, and Android just looks everywhere and grabs it?
4. How do I go to my SD Card? In fact, I am 100% sure my SD card has two auto-assigned folders on it and nothing else. I have no idea how to access it or put things on it, and I am also sure my phone does not care that it exists. Obviously my phone's SD has plenty of memory on it, but I don't know why there is even a SD card slot. I was thinking of copying some files onto my SD card to put onto my friend's Android phone, but I am also positive I'd have no idea how to perform what should be a basic task.
So, help me out. What am I doing? And, what apps would I need for question four, or just file browsing apps in general.
I'm confused about what this topic is about.
All the words that would describe what he is talking about are replaced with junk and stuff.
.___.
edit: The captivate assigns the internal sd card as SD:
Delete the "junk"
thehyecircus said:
My SD (the one on the Android, not the SD Card, why the hell did they name it SD?!) is full of junk. In fact, it comes with a load of junk by default.
How do I:
1. Get Android to not pull videos, pictures, and music from games? My gallery, video player, doubletwist, etc is full of stuff like that.
2. Know what I can delete and what I can't? I'd like to clean this place up.
3. How do I find stuff? I mean, is it up to me to make "Music" "Pictures" "Videos" folders for my own sake, and Android just looks everywhere and grabs it?
4. How do I go to my SD Card? In fact, I am 100% sure my SD card has two auto-assigned folders on it and nothing else. I have no idea how to access it or put things on it, and I am also sure my phone does not care that it exists. Obviously my phone's SD has plenty of memory on it, but I don't know why there is even a SD card slot. I was thinking of copying some files onto my SD card to put onto my friend's Android phone, but I am also positive I'd have no idea how to perform what should be a basic task.
So, help me out. What am I doing? And, what apps would I need for question four, or just file browsing apps in general.
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Click to collapse
A search would have answered your questions. your SD card memory is the phones main programs memory. IT is where alot of your apps store the data. You can use many apps to as a file explorer it even comes with one. Its called My Files. I use Root Explorer which allows to access Root files and make changes to them. The sd card slot is for....wait for it.......More memory. As for it not seeing the files. there are a few music apps that let you set the folders it scans. Power Amp is the best at the moment IMHO. You can also put a file in the folders that you dont want scanned named no media, (with root explorer you can copy one of these files from the root folders if you can make one.)
with pre existing folders (for apps and such)
create a "new file" in it named " .nomedia " with the . (preriod)
this can be done with root explorer or in windows. create blank text document rename to .nomedia with NO .txt then copy and move to folders.
nothing in that folder or sub folder will be included in media scans
or if it is a personal folder you are creating name it starting with a . (period)
and ya internal SD gets messy. Use external for your files to keep organized!
Wouldn't my SD card (even if it is SDHC) be slower? DoubleTwist is already inexcusably slow with my files on the SD itself, what would it be like on the external?
And yes, I know what the SD is, I was just asking why it was named that.
Bumping this because I am curious about any speed differences, and because I would like my SD Card to matter.
One thing that really annoys me is how Android allows apps to litter your internal and external storage cards with files and folders, and these do not get removed when the app is uninstalled. I have literally scores of folders on my device, and half of them I don't have a clue what they are.
I wish when an app was removed Android gave you the option to delete all associated files wherever they may be, and if you say "Yes" then it would enforce that by deleting everything to do with that app.
That would require that app developers stick to some kind of standard, like keeping a configuration file with the location(s) of all its files, on both internal and external memory. While that's certainly doable, it's just as easy for those same developers to code their apps cleanly to remove their own junk. If devs are being sloppy, they're gonna be sloppy either way.
Something big would have to change in Android, since currently apps either have access to the SD or they don't. They would have to introduce a new type of permission which would only allow access to a certain subfolder, whose name is automatically assigned by the OS. Then, apps with that permission would necessarily have to drop all their files in that one place, and identification of residual files would be much easier.
Kind of like this
setspeed said:
One thing that really annoys me is how Android allows apps to litter your internal and external storage cards with files and folders, and these do not get removed when the app is uninstalled. I have literally scores of folders on my device, and half of them I don't have a clue what they are.
I wish when an app was removed Android gave you the option to delete all associated files wherever they may be, and if you say "Yes" then it would enforce that by deleting everything to do with that app.
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I kind of like it this way. It gives me an excuse to root in there and clean it up.
--El
Nothing earth shattering but I thought the info it's worth sharing in a new thread.
Assuming that you have already activated the Developer Options section, at the very bottom there are two very interesting options (recently introduced):
1. Allow any app to write on external SD and
2. Make any activity resizeable so it can be used in multi-window.
This is it! See the screenshot!
Cheers!
i did it but not sure what it does.. maybe usefull in dex mode?
miman04 said:
i did it but not sure what it does.. maybe usefull in dex mode?
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Did you read the description?? It allows all apps to go sd card and multi window usage
I used it to move whatsapp on the external sd card, but all media are still on the internal memory and if move them manually, whatsapp can't see them and create a new folder in the internal memory. How can i fix it?
After I made the change, it seemed laggy. Using an Evo select card. Unchecked the setting and moved my apps back to internal and things are back to normal.
Op clearly does not understand this option (talking only about first one). When I say this, I honestly don't mean to insult. It is meant for adoptable storage (which we don't have on samsung). It is to force install apps on adoptable storage even if dev has not allowed this in the app. It is a buggy feature, that prevents app updating, on the phones that have this function, so even there it is best left alone.
This will not magically allow app write access to our phone, but it might allow the app to be moved to the card, with caveats above.
Sent from my phone