[Q] Worst multitask ever? - Windows Phone 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello there.
First, i'm not trolling.. I just want to be sure i'm not msising anything here.
I've been using Mango for a while, and with some mango updated apps here. Like Gchat, Tasks, Wonder Reader.. Well, I noticed something:
The multitask just works when you use the back button. So if you go to another app, come back to home and open it in tiles, it will reload the whole app instead of resuming. Seriously?!
Or is this an option to developers?
Please, tell me i'm wrong. I love WP7 too much to handle a glitch like this ;/
Thank you guys.

I would say this is up to the developer. There's a resume hack that exists in NoDo, which requires editing one of the app's XML's.
Resumable XAP Tool v0.1 Release

drkfngthdragnlrd said:
I would say this is up to the developer. There's a resume hack that exists in NoDo, which requires editing one of the app's XML's.
Resumable XAP Tool v0.1 Release
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, but resuming apps just works when you use fast switch or back button. Not in home opening the app..

mikeeam said:
Yeah, but resuming apps just works when you use fast switch or back button. Not in home opening the app..
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Click to collapse
From the home you just open another instance of the same app ..you are not multitasking ...
If an app let you open multiply instances of its self (the app) its have nothing to do with multitasking.
And by the way i like the title of your thread !!!!! Really ???? Most of the mobile industry agree that the WP7 multitasking its one of the best ...

colossus_r said:
From the home you just open another instance of the same app ..you are not multitasking ...
If an app let you open multiply instances of its self (the app) its have nothing to do with multitasking.
And by the way i like the title of your thread !!!!! Really ???? Most of the mobile industry agree that the WP7 multitasking its one of the best ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But it has to do with the way it's coded or the system does that automatically? Because, seriously, I dont see where it's better than just re-open the same instance that is already opened. Takes much more time.

mikeeam said:
But it has to do with the way it's coded or the system does that automatically? Because, seriously, I dont see where it's better than just re-open the same instance that is already opened. Takes much more time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its app related ...Some apps they do let you open more that one instance ...some other they dont

mikeeam said:
But it has to do with the way it's coded or the system does that automatically? Because, seriously, I dont see where it's better than just re-open the same instance that is already opened. Takes much more time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that the motivation behind that is that most users wont actively multitask with more than 2-3 apps at a time, and for that holding the back button will suffice just fine. For most users there's better to go to a new instance instead of returning to the old one when they've spent a long time doing something else, and mostly I agree with this.

As smarthphone user (and developer for HTC Charmer few years ago) since 2003, I must agree. I'm really disapointed with WP7 parody to multitasking. Hope things will go better when Nokia reveals their WP devices and more users will force MS to relook their policy.
Cracking this and breaking through this system is currently nonsense - you can only lost excellent WP7 stability and performance. This step must come from core MS developers...
Hope they started WP7 the same way as they did in case of Windows 7 - they started to use "tiny core" minwin architecture which is highly modular. In windows 8, minwin kernel idea is pushed further and it can only be better. This modular core architecture allows them to add major functions without need of complete rewriting the code. WP8 could be a really great system if its handled this way

I wish multitasking was option, as you can turn it off and on via settings. I rarely if ever use it. Its pretty annoying how it works.
Sent from my HD7 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App

There's a difference between third party apps versus the first party apps provided by Microsoft.
First party apps can have multiple entries in the app switcher (One example is the Messaging app where you'll see multiple chat sessions in the back stack).
Third party apps can only have one entry in the app switcher list at any one time. If you have a third party app in the back stack and you start a new instance of it by tapping on its main or secondary app tile, the previous instance of the app is removed from the back stack. So even if an app has multiple entry points (such as if it has more than one tile pinned on the Start screen), it'll only ever appear once in the app switcher. As far as I know, there is no way for a dev to change this behavior.
And it's true that opening an app via its tile will start a new instance, and this is the opposite of what iOS does. I've already described it in some detail here...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17171504&postcount=5
Since Mango and iOS are the only 2 major phone OS's that do fast app switching, I'd have to agree that Mango's implementation is worse than iOS's.
(Not to be picky, but this is technically not "multitasking". Multitasking on Windows Phone involves the use of background agents. And IMO it has a better multitasking API than iOS because it has periodic agents that can be scheduled.)

SuperSlacker said:
There's a difference between third party apps versus the first party apps provided by Microsoft.
First party apps can have multiple entries in the app switcher (One example is the Messaging app where you'll see multiple chat sessions in the back stack).
Third party apps can only have one entry in the app switcher list at any one time. If you have a third party app in the back stack and you start a new instance of it by tapping on its main or secondary app tile, the previous instance of the app is removed from the back stack. So even if an app has multiple entry points (such as if it has more than one tile pinned on the Start screen), it'll only ever appear once in the app switcher. As far as I know, there is no way for a dev to change this behavior.
And it's true that opening an app via its tile will start a new instance, and this is the opposite of what iOS does. I've already described it in some detail here...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=17171504&postcount=5
Since Mango and iOS are the only 2 major phone OS's that do fast app switching, I'd have to agree that Mango's implementation is worse than iOS's.
(Not to be picky, but this is technically not "multitasking". Multitasking on Windows Phone involves the use of background agents. And IMO it has a better multitasking API than iOS because it has periodic agents that can be scheduled.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldnt find that post, and thought no one answered. Glad to see you did. Yes, it helped a lot. I really love this OS, but forcing me to use back button instead of just resuming the app is lame.
Most of users just want it to be fast. Dont care about how they close, or how they open it. Me included. MS could just change it, using the same API as now. Opening in tiles resume the instance. Way faster for most of users.
Now I'm going to try to get used to it. Or just go back to iOS, unfortunately.

Related

[REQ] 3D carousel Task Switcher

Like the one in SPB mobile shell, but for apps rather than avalible screens.
like this one http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/
mmmalas said:
Like the one in SPB mobile shell, but for apps rather than avalible screens.
like this one http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/mobileshell/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure about this.... what if only 2 open apps? or 20 apps? how to scroll? What seems more user friendly is something like coverflow/music tab, per app like one screenshot and can swipe between apps. It is however a very big load for the system i think....
mouki_9 said:
not sure about this.... what if only 2 open apps? or 20 apps? how to scroll? What seems more user friendly is something like coverflow/music tab, per app like one screenshot and can swipe between apps. It is however a very big load for the system i think....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you open 2 apps, then you have 2 windows opposite to each others, with 20 windows then big carousel .
system usage not going to be much unless you are navigating the task switcher, but once it dissapear then no need for it to run with full memory
Hmm...
mmmalas said:
if you open 2 apps, then you have 2 windows opposite to each others, with 20 windows then big carousel .
system usage not going to be much unless you are navigating the task switcher, but once it dissapear then no need for it to run with full memory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Having a look at this now... It is actually a little more complex than you think though. Even before we go anywhere near the carousel part (3D is well out of my league) you still have to think about how your going to get the screenshots to display on it:
Windows only actually performs paint operations on active windows therefore we need to take screenshots of that active window, how are we going to do that?
a) Use a timer taking screen shots at regular intervals (every few secs or so) of the currently active window using the last one taken as the screenshot when inactive - Obviously this still does require both memory and proc time to perform even when whatever UI you create is not actually active. This however is the most likely to work solution to the problem.
b) See if there is any way you can catch a window at the moment it is being minimized - This is potentially difficult but would probably be the most accurate. However this is may not actually possible (need to research a little more though) - i.e. can you actually catch the window before it actually minimizes or are you always going to be too late and end up capturing nothing. Kind of like trying to photograph a bullet from a gun using a handheld camera by listening for the sound of it firing (capturing the close event on the window and acting on it before the actual window it was sent to acts on that event) <---- Maybe a more experienced dev has some thought on this?
I also agree with mouki a little on this one in terms of usability. As much as your idea is much cooler to look at after about two days I would want to swap it for something where I could actually efficiently switch between tasks rather than rolling through an endless carousel trying to find that *bloody* app I wanted to switch too.
I'm going to see what I can come up with but I think it's going to end up being tile based as that is the most efficient as you'll be able to see more at one time but definitely like the idea of having thumbnails rather than just names for a switcher...
However I'm working on another project though at the mo (Leo as a fully customisable remote control for our PC's) so wont have much time just now to look at a switcher project, however will keep you posted on what I find out...
this will be more usable really in terms of switching, as you will have photo of what you are switching to rather than just a name.
it all depends on how your memeory works really.
remember how you switch windows in MS windows with alt tab, or win+tab.
its less usage on the brain that way.
as for closing, you dont care about closing, since once its closed then there is no need to display. what you care about is minimizing, or when win is inactive.
I can do this type of application on the PC very easily using AutoHotKey script. however I have no clue how PPC programing is done
A starter for ten
Fortunately my background in programming comes from the .net framework so it's reasonably easy to make the jump to .net compact framework ppc (even if I've got to get used to the reduced ammount of functions). I can see how this would be different for you... I've just taken a look at what AutoHotKey is probably the nearest equivelent for you would be MortScript (Pretty powerful)
Heres our starter for ten anyway in vb.net: http://anoriginalidea.wordpress.com/2008/01/03/getting-a-screenshot-using-vbnet-on-the-compact-framework-20/ <--- This shows the library that would be used to capture the screen shots.

[Q] how do you close apps?

so i found out how to force close apps under settings but theres gotta be a better way.
for example lets say i have browser, market, and facebook apps open. all showing under the window selection button. after time i get a ton of windows there and i don't want all of them open. how do i close them selectively without going through all the settings menu crud?
some apps let me close from within, most don't though and leave me stuck with a ton of windows (apps) open.
What you are asking isn't necessary unless an application has malfunctioned. There is no other way to close applications other than using the force close button in settings. Android handles this itself -- if this doesn't satisfy you download a task manager.
I don't think there is a way yet.
What Google needs to do is make those preview windows in the multitasking bar long-pressable for a menu to be able to close them.
modru2004 said:
so i found out how to force close apps under settings but theres gotta be a better way.
for example lets say i have browser, market, and facebook apps open. all showing under the window selection button. after time i get a ton of windows there and i don't want all of them open. how do i close them selectively without going through all the settings menu crud?
some apps let me close from within, most don't though and leave me stuck with a ton of windows (apps) open.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no need to manually close out apps. Since 2.1, Android has done an excellent job managing memory. It's been written many times (some directly from Google) that micromanaging your apps will actually hurt battery performance. You'll essentially be working against the system as opposed to helping it.
I am not sure if my task manager is working on this device. I use AutoKiller and when I killed task it doesn't appear as though anything closes. Can somebody confirm?
atoy74 said:
There is no need to manually close out apps. Since 2.1, Android has done an excellent job managing memory. It's been written many times (some directly from Google) that micromanaging your apps will actually hurt battery performance. You'll essentially be working against the system as opposed to helping it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
id like to point out thats NOT the issue.
the issue is the ton of windows you end up having to sort through unless you close them. its a quality of life thing, i don't like having unused unnecessary windows open that i have to sort through to get to the stuff i am using. its just bad form.
foldog22 said:
I am not sure if my task manager is working on this device. I use AutoKiller and when I killed task it doesn't appear as though anything closes. Can somebody confirm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will most likely not work until its rewritten. The way 2.2 and now 3.0 allow access is completely different then 2.1 and below. Plus as said about 200 million task there is 0 reason to run a task killer. If you wanna clear them out, even though there is 0 reason, reboot.
Okay, I get the memory management issue, but as the OP pointed out, I've got all sorts of icons in the "task bar area" (bottom right hand corner) that just sit there or keep coming back.
For example, I haven't listened to any music on my Xoom since yesterday morning, yet I've got an icon down there for Music and Rhapsody. Also, there's no way to clear some notifications.
There's got to be a way to at least clear out the notification isn't there?
you tap on the little icon music for example and you will see a little x on the right of it, click that and it closes it from the notification system
There is absolutely no reason to use a task killer or manually kill tasks. 2.2, 2.3, 3.0, etc. handle memory and tasks extremely well. In many cases, task killers will only cost you more battery and more slowdowns than letting tasks just run out and sit in memory. Unless you're seeing rogue or malfunctioning tasks in the background causing slowdowns, there is no need to kill them.
I do wish you could scroll through the recent running apps rather than only being able to access the latest 5, but spam closing background apps doesnt help at all.
arrtoodeetoo said:
I don't think there is a way yet.
What Google needs to do is make those preview windows in the multitasking bar long-pressable for a menu to be able to close them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I haven't used a task manager since I started learning how android actually works last year when starting to make apps, I can't help but want the same thing in honeycomb for malfunctioning apps. I think google left it out intentionally to discourage task-killing rampages by oblivious users.
Every time I read "you do not need to close apps" I want to scream. first hour of usage I had a second browser installed and it and the stock browser were conflicting with each other... all I wanted to do was a quick close of one of the browsers.
There are always a multitude of good reasons to want to close a background app. I completely understand the technical reasons why an app does not need to be closed, but from a user experience point of view, it should be made simple.
mjpacheco said:
Every time I read "you do not need to close apps" I want to scream. first hour of usage I had a second browser installed and it and the stock browser were conflicting with each other... all I wanted to do was a quick close of one of the browsers.
There are always a multitude of good reasons to want to close a background app. I completely understand the technical reasons why an app does not need to be closed, but from a user experience point of view, it should be made simple.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is exactly why in my first post I said "...isn't necessary unless an application has malfunctioned" otherwise such a thing is barely necessary. And in your case, the classic "Settings > ....... > Force Close" would have easily sufficed.
So what you are saying is that a method to kill tasks is necessary, just not often. I, for instance, just had the xda app stuck on the splash screen. I killed it and restarted the app and all was good. There is a potential for harm if used over zealously but at times it would be nice if there was a more convenient way to close an app when necessary.
Applications do not always behave as they should so to say there is no need to kill am app is making a naive assumption that every android app is perfect.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
martonikaj said:
I do wish you could scroll through the recent running apps rather than only being able to access the latest 5, but spam closing background apps doesnt help at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oddly enough, if you turn to portrait, you get a few more. So, technically its not a hard limit on 5, but rather (literally) limited by space on the screen.
Anyone want to place a bet as to what rev we see scrollability?
Sent from my Evo using the XDA App
JanetPanic said:
So what you are saying is that a method to kill tasks is necessary, just not often. I, for instance, just had the xda app stuck on the splash screen. I killed it and restarted the app and all was good. There is a potential for harm if used over zealously but at times it would be nice if there was a more convenient way to close an app when necessary.
Applications do not always behave as they should so to say there is no need to kill am app is making a naive assumption that every android app is perfect.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If this happens use the built in task killer, settings/applications/running tab.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
bwcorvus said:
If this happens use the built in task killer, settings/applications/running tab.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did and it worked. As I said it would be nice to have a more convenient way of force stopping apps that are not behaving.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Closing apps isn't necessary for two reasons.
1. Android does a good job at managing apps on its own.
2. You have 1GB of RAM to work with.
Sent from my HTC Vision using Tapatalk
Watchdog does a considerable job since it only lets you know when an app is misbehaving. And since being on 2.3 its barely given me any alerts. Perhaps further proving the awesome memory management.
Sent from my Xperia X10 using XDA App
delete please

[Q] Mango 7720: Terminate an application

I can't find a way to close (terminate) an application other than hitting the back button, which can be not only painful but unwanted. In IE9 for example, if I've navigated through several pages in a session, if I want to close IE I have to go all the way back until the application closes, which also means that, next time, unless I go into History, I won't be able to start browsing from where I left.
It seems that is not possible to close an application from the task switcher, which is hard to understand.
Am I missing something?
Nop, it is just like that. It's not a mess like Android, but it would be better if we could close from task switcher, yes.
Since applications do not actively run in the background, there's no need to terminate anything.
dkp1977 said:
Since applications do not actively run in the background, there's no need to terminate anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At least for now. Eventually, every app will come with background support.
mikeeam said:
At least for now. Eventually, every app will come with background support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But these are agents which can be setup in the settings. Agents running in the background will never ever appear in the task switcher and will even run when you didn't even start the according app after a reboot.
There is no need to terminate apps because they do not run in the background. Period. What you are seeing in the task switcher is simply a history list of the 5 most recent apps or things you have done, show in a thumbnail view. These apps are not open.
Now to be able to remove cards from the task switcher so you can view other cards in the back stack would be useful, but not available at this time.
If you wanted to 'close' IE', you could simply close each tab you have open. No need to go back through all your web pages.
prjkthack said:
Now to be able to remove cards from the task switcher so you can view other cards in the back stack would be useful, but not available at this time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. As it is now, most of the time the task switcher will be useless to me, since it will always be filled with the five most recent apps I have run, whether or not those are the five apps I would like to be able to quickly switch back to. And most of the time, they won't be. I want to be able to a) pin apps to the card stack, and b) "flush" unneeded apps from the card stack.
It's supposed to be a convenience tool, but doesn't strike me as adding much convenience in its current implementation.
RoboDad said:
Exactly. As it is now, most of the time the task switcher will be useless to me, since it will always be filled with the five most recent apps I have run, whether or not those are the five apps I would like to be able to quickly switch back to. And most of the time, they won't be. I want to be able to a) pin apps to the card stack, and b) "flush" unneeded apps from the card stack.
It's supposed to be a convenience tool, but doesn't strike me as adding much convenience in its current implementation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm assuming it was built this way to accommodate the most common multitasking scenarios, of course that doesn't suit everyone, but I'm sure it'll work just fine for the majority of people.
When thought of from that perspective, 5 cards is more than enough for the majority. Maybe even too much.
Ok, let me see if I understand:
If I'm in IE9 and hit the windows button, IE9 will no longer be using resources. So each application in the foreground is sort of "running alone". Is that right?
octaedro7 said:
Ok, let me see if I understand:
If I'm in IE9 and hit the windows button, IE9 will no longer be using resources. So each application in the foreground is sort of "running alone". Is that right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
With mango there might be background agents running, but they are restricted in what they can do and what resources they can take up. So the answer will still be yes.

2 questions - multitasking issues and native gchat

i installed mango RTM over the weekend and its been great. as i've been playing with it i've noticed 2 things
1. if you're texting with someone and you place the messaging app into "standby" (press windows button) and you get a text msg notification toast, if you click the toast it opens up a new copy of the messaging app. you can verify this by going into the multitasking switcher, you'll see 2 panels of "messaging". is this a bug or is this how its supposed to be?
2. i'm not really a big user of facebook chat but i am on gmail all the time so i was wondering if there's any way we can hack gchat on? gchat and fb chat both use the jabber protocol and since fb chat is enabled natively, we know there's a possibility of it being supported. any ideas?
thanks!
1: The "Multitasking" fast App switcher isn't showing instances of open apps. It's just showing recently use apps. Every app is in stand by mode if you don't "Back" out of them with the Back Button. The Task Switcher also has a 5 page limit. Apps outside that limit are still open/standby, just not in the list. At least this is how I believe it works. No way to tell till we have enough resume enabled apps that are Mango compatible to test this more. It's not the greatest implementation of Multitasking IMO. My 2 complains is this multiple pages of the same app issue that you mentioned & the 5 page limitation. When I'm really active on my phone, I can see this being an issue. Not a deal breaker, more of an annoyance.
1. The task switcher just show what you've done last. Also, native apps are always running and are not confine to the same restrictions as 3rd party apps.
2. Now that Microsoft open up Marketplace for Mango apps submissions, it won't be long before unofficial Google Talk apps show up.
Something that I noticed with wonder reader. Dont know if it's how the app is made, but..
When you open it, you hit windows (home) button, and hit back, it just come back instantly. But if you open it using the tile, it dont resume. It re-open it and it's not instantly.
Anyone else noticed?
mikeeam said:
Something that I noticed with wonder reader. Dont know if it's how the app is made, but..
When you open it, you hit windows (home) button, and hit back, it just come back instantly. But if you open it using the tile, it dont resume. It re-open it and it's not instantly.
Anyone else noticed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Microsoft made a conscious design decision that apps started from the tile (on the Start screen or app list) are started as a new instance. The only way to fast app switch is by going through the backstack (either navigating sequentially via the back key or directly via the app switcher). I believe "a consistent user experience" was cited as the reason for this behavior.
This is quite different than in iOS, where the app switcher AND the home screen icon will fast resume an app (if still in memory). And that is why iOS has a way to delete apps from the app switcher, because that's the only way to start a new instance (it's also why Windows Phone doesn't need a way to clear apps from the app switcher). I happen to think Apple's design is better because more often than not, a user is looking to resume an experience, no matter how they end up starting app; therefore it should be the default behavior.
With Windows Phone deep linking, clicking on a secondary tile, toast notification, or a search extension can launch directly into a "page" inside the app, but it still takes time to fire up new instances of the app and the page.
You might also be interested to know that an app can only appear in the backstack once. So if you open an app using the main tile, then to go to the Start screen and start it again with a secondary tile, it'll knock the first instance off the backstack.
Anyway, probably more than you ever wanted to know but hope this clears it up.
Anthony
Wonder Reader

[Q] Some Stupid Questions/Gripes About Android OS

I've used an Android tablet for about a year now, and although I've put in a lot of time to make it useful and controllable, it still has a lot of troubling mysteries. I have a few questions for developer types that hopefully will help shed some light on things:
1. Why don't applications feature a "Close" button? In both Windows and GNU/Linux with a GUI, you get a neat little "X" at the top right of the window. Usually, when you click this, the application terminates. Is that so much to ask for on Android? The means of closing apps on Android seem to be entirely up to the devs and there doesn't appear to be a standard way at all. Some of the apps I've used on Android don't have any way to close them whatsoever, with the exception of killing them from a task manager or the "Manage Apps" section of settings.
2. Why do many of these programs suddenly and mysteriously start running entirely on their own? It's terribly frustrating for me to kill an app and in a half an hour find it there on the task manager list again, running without my having asked for it to do so. Where is this controlled? If there is some sort of task scheduler making this happen, why can't I easily see a list of scheduled tasks and choose which ones to run or not to run?
3. For programs that *are* running in the background (the ones I *want* to have running), why is it that they usually don't have some sort of taskbar icon to indicate at a glance that they are still running?
4. Why can't I see everything that's loading when the tablet starts? I guess I'm asking to see a logcat screen instead of a splash screen. GNU/Linux distros don't usually hide everything from the end user, so why isn't it optional on an Android tablet? Even in custom ROMS all I get are neat looking splash screens, not a terminal interface on boot.
5. Why doesn't a decent firewall application yet exist for Android? All I seem to be able to find are really coarse ones like Droidwall, where it's an all or nothing proposition (allow/block). I'd like to be able to control protocols, ports, zones and individual IP addresses and ranges like a good firewall on Windows or GNU/Linux allows. I am constantly under suspicion that someone is doing something on my tablet without my even being aware of it.
6. Why are permissions for applications so difficult to control? Maybe I don't want some stupid game getting a look at my contacts list. I realize I can just uninstall the game, but so many apps seem to tap into stuff that they shouldn't be allowed to, I feel like some sort of permissions control should be a default standard thing in Android. Instead all there seems to be are a couple of apps on the market that may or may not work.
7. Do any of you developers feel dissatisfied about the state of Android, and does Google take your feedback seriously?
8. Are there any forks of the Android OS that don't rely on Google for anything? I'm not 100 percent sure about the difference between a GNU and an Apache license. How much of the OS is closed-source? Is it enough to prevent a true, fully open-sourced Android-based OS from being made?
Sorry if any of these questions sound stupid, but even though Android is supposed to be more open than iOS, it's still not open enough for my tastes. I actually feel safer using Windows than Android, and that's just not how it should be. Am I alone in this feeling?
Ok. I would honestly say you should have gone with a Windows tablet if you want all those... It's not a computer. It's a mobile device running a mobile os. It's not gonna be a full blown computer.
McMick said:
I've used an Android tablet for about a year now, and although I've put in a lot of time to make it useful and controllable, it still has a lot of troubling mysteries. I have a few questions for developer types that hopefully will help shed some light on things:
1. Why don't applications feature a "Close" button? In both Windows and GNU/Linux with a GUI, you get a neat little "X" at the top right of the window. Usually, when you click this, the application terminates. Is that so much to ask for on Android? The means of closing apps on Android seem to be entirely up to the devs and there doesn't appear to be a standard way at all. Some of the apps I've used on Android don't have any way to close them whatsoever, with the exception of killing them from a task manager or the "Manage Apps" section of settings.
2. Why do many of these programs suddenly and mysteriously start running entirely on their own? It's terribly frustrating for me to kill an app and in a half an hour find it there on the task manager list again, running without my having asked for it to do so. Where is this controlled? If there is some sort of task scheduler making this happen, why can't I easily see a list of scheduled tasks and choose which ones to run or not to run?
3. For programs that *are* running in the background (the ones I *want* to have running), why is it that they usually don't have some sort of taskbar icon to indicate at a glance that they are still running?
4. Why can't I see everything that's loading when the tablet starts? I guess I'm asking to see a logcat screen instead of a splash screen. GNU/Linux distros don't usually hide everything from the end user, so why isn't it optional on an Android tablet? Even in custom ROMS all I get are neat looking splash screens, not a terminal interface on boot.
5. Why doesn't a decent firewall application yet exist for Android? All I seem to be able to find are really coarse ones like Droidwall, where it's an all or nothing proposition (allow/block). I'd like to be able to control protocols, ports, zones and individual IP addresses and ranges like a good firewall on Windows or GNU/Linux allows. I am constantly under suspicion that someone is doing something on my tablet without my even being aware of it.
6. Why are permissions for applications so difficult to control? Maybe I don't want some stupid game getting a look at my contacts list. I realize I can just uninstall the game, but so many apps seem to tap into stuff that they shouldn't be allowed to, I feel like some sort of permissions control should be a default standard thing in Android. Instead all there seems to be are a couple of apps on the market that may or may not work.
7. Do any of you developers feel dissatisfied about the state of Android, and does Google take your feedback seriously?
8. Are there any forks of the Android OS that don't rely on Google for anything? I'm not 100 percent sure about the difference between a GNU and an Apache license. How much of the OS is closed-source? Is it enough to prevent a true, fully open-sourced Android-based OS from being made?
Sorry if any of these questions sound stupid, but even though Android is supposed to be more open than iOS, it's still not open enough for my tastes. I actually feel safer using Windows than Android, and that's just not how it should be. Am I alone in this feeling?
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1. Well, its a mobile OS and it would be rather annoying to have a close button on every (even most) apps. No mobile OS has had a close button
2. That's an app problem, the developer either wanted the app to do that for some function, or they made some mistake in creating causing that to happen.
3. There would be too many apps, and I doubt people want extra notifications in the status bar just informing them what's running. For example, my friends Stratosphere has a status notif whenever WiFi is connected, and it annoys the crap out of me whenever I use it.
4. Probably, because people don't care... remember Android (like WP and iOS) are supposed to appeal to consumers as a phone for "facebook, games, and internet," and if the splashscreen/bootanimation was a logcat, people would just go "wut?" Also, as smartphones get faster and faster, so does bootup time. And there wouldn't be enough time to read what's on the logcat before it fully boots and you're at the lockscreen
5. Ask the devs.
6. Once again, dev thing. They are entitled to putting whatever permission they want, and Google isn't going to stop them. Just think about it though, most people don't care about permissions. iOS doesn't display them (even though they are there) and people download apps like there's no tomorrow anyway.
7. I read somewhere that the main designer of Android was "40% complete" at ICS. It gets me excited at what's next to come, since 4.0+ is already pretty amazing.
8. I'm too retarded to understand this question
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
As gagdude said for 1-7.
8. There's the Chinese Aliyun OS which looks and feels a lot like Android but doesn't rely on Google - but I would't try it. You could try Ubuntu Linux if your device supports it.
Android needs to be like apple with updates time to close source this already and just have one phone already
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2
Reopened, but if it gets unproviding and or heads Off Topic, well then I will readdress this thread.....
Thank you and you can Thank user: Syncopath
gagdude said:
No mobile OS has had a close button
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Wrong, PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years on my HTC Wallaby, had a close button for every application.
@McMick, many of your points struck a chord with me and I have often asked myself the same things since migrating to Android from Pocket PC 2002 on my HTC Wallaby. Certainly points 1, 3, 7 and 8.
Since I jumped from PPC 2002 to Android 2.3.6 I've had the same thoughts. And I was for instance surprised to see that only now (Galaxy Note 2) are the very first steps being taken towards multiple windows.
I agree with point 4 too. On a PC (Linux or Windows) you can choose whether you see what's starting (BIOS and OS boot) or prefer a reassuring animation.
5. I have Avast!Mobile Security which has what is reckoned to be one of the best firewalls for Android, but even that only has, as you say, block or allow (individually for WiFi, 3G and mobile network).
6. The trouble with limiting permissions for apps is that if they can't get the access they want, they won't work. Personally I use the app Privacy Blocker which works around that by feeding the apps you choose not to allow to snoop nonsense information.
However it's not enough just to stand on the sidelines and issue one's wishes to "the developers". The point and the spirit of XDA-developers is that we can all start modifying things if we want to. So instead of saying "Why can't I" the thing to do is to start reading and learning and seeing if you might not after all just be able to ... do something yourself when it comes to your device.
Every Android developer does what appeals to them, which is why there is such a wonderful diversity of ROMs and apps for Android, particularly here on XDA.
So get stuck in and start trying to change things on your own device for a start. On point 5 for instance, you do see a logcat screen when you boot into recovery mode, so perhaps there's a way to display that when booting. If you do get started on modifications in the directions you indicate, I shall certainly follow progress with interest.
Thanks to BigJoe2675.
syncopath said:
Wrong, PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years on my HTC Wallaby,
However it's not enough just to stand on the sidelines and issue one's wishes to "the developers". The point and the spirit of XDA-developers is that we can all start modifying things if we want to. So instead of saying "Why can't I" the thing to do is to start reading and learning and seeing if you might not after all just be able to ... do something yourself when it comes to your device.
Every Android developer does what appeals to them, which is why there is such a wonderful diversity of ROMs and apps for Android, particularly here on XDA.
So get stuck in and start trying to change things on your own device for a start. On point 5 for instance, you do see a logcat screen when you boot into recovery mode, so perhaps there's a way to display that when booting. If you do get started on modifications in the directions you indicate, I shall certainly follow progress with interest.
Thanks to BigJoe2675.
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+1
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PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years :crying::crying: sorry for this....
syncopath said:
Wrong, PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years on my HTC Wallaby, had a close button for every application.
@McMick, many of your points struck a chord with me and I have often asked myself the same things since migrating to Android from Pocket PC 2002 on my HTC Wallaby. Certainly points 1, 3, 7 and 8.
Since I jumped from PPC 2002 to Android 2.3.6 I've had the same thoughts. And I was for instance surprised to see that only now (Galaxy Note 2) are the very first steps being taken towards multiple windows.
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Click to collapse
OK, but I wasn't born in 2002.
Lol jk I was, but I wasn't "born" to technology back then. I got my first phone only 3 years ago or so... and that just makes it seem that close buttons are now obsolete (on Mobile OSes, at least
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
gagdude said:
OK, but I wasn't born in 2002.
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LOL as I believe they say these days. I forgive you instantly! I am amazed by your over 1000 posts in about 4 months.
McMick said:
4. Why can't I see everything that's loading when the tablet starts? I guess I'm asking to see a logcat screen instead of a splash screen. GNU/Linux distros don't usually hide everything from the end user, so why isn't it optional on an Android tablet? Even in custom ROMS all I get are neat looking splash screens, not a terminal interface on boot.
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The app [root] live logcat by the one and only Chainfire [/hyperbole] should fix this. There are free and paid versions. Something to check out if you're rooted. Please let us know of the results. Added on edit: from Google Play.
syncopath said:
LOL as I believe they say these days. I forgive you instantly! I am amazed by your over 1000 posts in about 4 months.
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Oh no that just means I'm a loser and I spend too much time on xda
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium
@bigjoe,
bigjoe2675 said:
PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years :crying::crying: sorry for this....
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Don't quite understand this message, probably due to my inability to correctly interpret emoticons (reverse autism?). Anyway, thanks for re-opening this one because I
think what is being discussed here is worthwhile. Given the pressure of spammer-threat I think the OP should respond soon (or anyone else). Otherwise it will be understandable if you close the thread if you prefer.
bigjoe2675 said:
Reopened, but if it gets unproviding and or heads Off Topic, well then I will readdress this thread.....
Thank you and you can Thank user:
Syncopath
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I think I understand your priorities as moderator. This is of course a thread near the "top" of XDA and as such will far more readily attract spammers and other lowlife than further down in the more comfortable device threads where I am more used to posting. So you will want to quickly close any thread that seems to be becoming stale. Right?
@gagdude
gagdude said:
Oh no that just means I'm a loser and I spend too much time on xda
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I don't think so, over 200 thanks didn't come from nowhere!
This is off subject having prob w/ no boot sound for boot anim
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