Why isnt there a close option for apps? - G1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Seems like only Blackberry closes apps when your done, WM and Android you always have to go and close them or you get lag and its a pain. On both Windows and linux if you "X" out the program you dont still have to bring up the task manager and close them again.
I dont know about symbian though, never used Nokia.
I was just wondering whats the purpose of it. Why does the OS do that? Whats the point?

The reasoning is so that you can run apps in the background.

if u want ur apps to close pay a buck for advanced task manager. u will thank me l8r

phatmanxxl said:
On both Windows and linux if you "X" out the program you dont still have to bring up the task manager and close them again.
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Click to collapse
Uh, no. Both Windows and Linux, if you close a window, it's up to the application to decide what to do. That's not a windows/linux problem; it's the people who made that application.
If you mean WM/Android, then yeah, you're correct. I'm not entirely sure on WM's reasoning, but this is the way Android is designed. It handles what applications will run in the background. When an app is in the background, it's there so if you want to open it up again quickly it'll load instantly.
90% of applications don't have problems running in the background. They don't slow the phone down, and they don't take up insane amounts of memory. Android was designed to phase applications out of mem that aren't used, as you open up new applications.

Related

Memory boosting apps... real or fake

Everyone knows computers, phones, pda, slows as the memory fills. Now there are ssome apps on the market that say they speed up you phone. So far I count three
- Memory up Professional
- Memory up Personal
- Memory for Lemmings
Has anyone tried any of these? What do you have to say about them? Do they work? Are you to skeptical (scarred) to try them?
I tried memory up Professional but didn't seem to work also its shareware
Memory for lemming seemed more simple but memory number keep jumping around there should be a log/graph for memory usage like windows task manager (I probably should email him that)
Haven't tried mem up personal though,
To an extend they work but overall they have no use. Android OS is built around killing services after some time and keeping the phone running in top performance. Those memory programs might free up a few KB's but not much use on that part, unless you have a program that allows you to kill services and stuff, which might have a practical use. Overall my answer is they are pretty much fake!
Just look at the definition of Lemming...
Lemming
The act of following the crowd into an investment that will inevitably head for disaster.
The version Memory for Lemmings is essentially garbage as well. He only made it to prove a point that the effects of the other pay programs are useless.
I used Memory Up when my G1 was working (doing a warranty, still waiting for the mail). It did not appear to do anything. Some claimed it did, I claim placebo effect for them.
The first thing I checked when running it was whether or not it killed open apps, it did not. Useless in my opinion. Wait for a real task manager.
From what I understand it does the same thing Oxios Memory does for Windows Mobile... it merely compacts RAM by clearing up system memory providing a slight boost but non noticeable to the human eye or feel. Android system by default will keep up to 6 applications running in the background and closes the oldest app. when the 7th application is opened (hold down the home key and try it out yourself). From what I have noticed, (and there is not real way to track virtual/RAM memory in the G1, if you don't turn off your phone but every few days... then the memory programs WILL help (slightly) to avoid the inevitable power off to clear system RAM or cool off the circuit board.
Lol welcome to the land of the stupid. I explain not only WHAT the app MemoryForLemmings does , but also HOW it does it right in the description. Not only that but I also suggest a google search term which tells you ALL ABOUT Garbage collection. But for the Google inept here we go.
Every java program has variables and objects in it. These objectd consume memory - both on the java heap and also indirectly the system. Now Old School coders like myself who used C generally null out the variables when done with them - thus freeing memory off the heap.(I am not going to explain what the heap is ****ing look it up), we are used to C where every spec of memory had to be allocated and deallocated. Java on the other hand doesnt require you to be so fussy, It keeps a running log of variables etc and whether they are being used or not and periodically it will go through and run .... wait for it ... garbage collection. It does this at a set time or at a set memory level of the heap.
But guess what, Sun in their infinite wisdom provide a way to ask the system to run garbage collection early. This is not a forced suggestion merely a hint to the OS, the OS can choose to ignore this. Guess what my app does? Can you guess? Thats right it merely suggests to the OS to finalize items thats may be running but are old and to run garbage collection. Thats it. The whole damn program is maybe 40 lines long and that includes the Dialog code.
There is nothing like a bunch of non coders getting together on a forum to write up some of the least correct assumptions I have ever seen about code.
Android does not close apps on a First in First out basis. You cannot rely on that when coding apps, Androids program management is more sophisticated than that. You cannot "compact RAM" it is not disk. Any clearing of the system memory is a crap shoot, I Included it on the app for ****s and giggles. It may speed up your system as the heap/system memory clear, but again that's a crap shoot.
I only wrote the app at all so the idiot charging 15 bucks for app wouldn't be able to scam people for something the OS would do anyway (Which by the way is ALSO in the description). I didn't even post it to the market to start just the androidcommunity boards, but they encouraged me to list it.
I really suggest you actually USE google (Golly where would you find a google search bar), before you go off half cocked.
Bratag said:
I really suggest you actually USE google (Golly where would you find a google search bar), before you go off half cocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think half the visitors to xda-dev Dream understood what you wrote above. And that's why people will continue to buy these apps (on this and other platforms). Right now the Android Market is still not as bad as the iPhone App Store, where exploitation and ridiculously pointless apps hit truly saddening new plateaus.
I think i'll go write a "cell phone radiation reducer" app right now and charge twenty bucks for it.
jashsu said:
I don't think half the visitors to xda-dev Dream understood what you wrote above. And that's why people will continue to buy these apps (on this and other platforms). Right now the Android Market is still not as bad as the iPhone App Store, where exploitation and ridiculously pointless apps hit truly saddening new plateaus.
I think i'll go write a "cell phone radiation reducer" app right now and charge twenty bucks for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet Ill totally buy it
I sometimes feel I am one man trying hold back the tide of stupid armed only with a soggy celery stalk.
Java?
Bratag said:
But guess what, Sun in their infinite wisdom provide a way to ask the system to run garbage collection early. This is not a forced suggestion merely a hint to the OS, the OS can choose to ignore this. Guess what my app does? Can you guess? Thats right it merely suggests to the OS to finalize items thats may be running but are old and to run garbage collection. Thats it. The whole damn program is maybe 40 lines long and that includes the Dialog code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bratag: All of the apps on my system run in Linux, not Java. So your program wouldn't really do anything for me or the 90% of android users that don't do Java? I'm not sure about the Linux/Java connection you are making. Please elaborate.
The dalvik vm is basically a tweaked java vm. With some very limited exception, almost all the code in the available apks are all java classes.
Bratag said:
There is nothing like a bunch of non coders getting together on a forum to write up some of the least correct assumptions I have ever seen about code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must be new here.
texasaggie1 said:
Bratag: All of the apps on my system run in Linux, not Java. So your program wouldn't really do anything for me or the 90% of android users that don't do Java? I'm not sure about the Linux/Java connection you are making. Please elaborate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually all the apps on your system run In a Java Runtime Environment called Dalvik which is a virtual machine which has been optimized to efficiently run multiple instances efficiently. So everything you run is a java app and that includes the desktop.
Now this all runs on TOP of a linux KERNEL.
EDIT: damn someone beat me to it
Bratag - you rock.
Bratag said:
Actually all the apps on your system run In a Java Runtime Environment called Dalvik which is a virtual machine which has been optimized to efficiently run multiple instances efficiently. So everything you run is a java app and that includes the desktop.
Now this all runs on TOP of a linux KERNEL.
EDIT: damn someone beat me to it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The very reason an emulater like Smartgear, Pocketnes or MAME is impossible on Android. A black & white Gamboy emu would kill the 7201a with sound and 30fps.
Java sucks for these type of apps having to emulate the game system and be interpreted through two layers.
rushless said:
The very reason an emulater like Smartgear, Pocketnes or MAME is impossible on Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not at all impossible if you use JNI to hook to a compiled c++ or asm library for the main engine. Heck, it's not even "impossible" to do in Java-- merely unfeasible.
Stay on topic.
Apps on Android can't touch anything outside their own sandbox due to the security model (unless the other app gives you a way to access it's data, but even then, you can't touch it's memory). I feel sorry for the poor sod who pays for these apps.

Any app to auto kill on exit?

Seems the N1 has memory management issues. Instead of constantly closing apps to free up memory or have some app try to manage things, be nice to just kill the thing on exit. Any app that will auto-kill when an app exits?
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
It would be nice to have, say, long press back key to kill the current app.
Big_O said:
Seems the N1 has memory management issues. Instead of constantly closing apps to free up memory or have some app try to manage things, be nice to just kill the thing on exit. Any app that will auto-kill when an app exits?
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You obviously didn't search for this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=678205
You DON'T need to intervene with N1 memory management, since you don't know how it works. You assume wrong. And most bad gossips are created by people wrongly assuming something, thinking they know something while they actually don't.
My N1 runs equally well with 40MB and 250MB free. The only reason I use a task killer is to kill apps that I want to return to their "initial" state for some reason, or to kill apps that I suspect of wrongdoing.
Exactly, the nexus has no memory management issues. It is just your misunderstanding of how Android works. Leave your tasks alone.
If you have one or two particular apps that are bad citizens and should be shutting down in the background but don't... you can use "1Kill" from the market to create a home screen shortcut that kills that specific app when you press it.
Fring used to be a bad citizen - it would lock my wifi on even when I didn't want to be using it, and had no exit feature. So I'd always have to kill it after finishing up with it. Now it does have a proper exit, thankfully.
Jack_R1 said:
My N1 runs equally well with 40MB and 250MB free. The only reason I use a task killer is to kill apps that I want to return to their "initial" state for some reason, or to kill apps that I suspect of wrongdoing.
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Click to collapse
Ditto!
1 app running or 50 apps running they all still run the same.
I find it even funnier how iOS4 users in Apple-land are suddenly freaking out that so many applications appear to be open "in the background" and complaining that they have to spend so much time "killing" apps.
Big_O said:
Seems the N1 has memory management issues. Instead of constantly closing apps to free up memory or have some app try to manage things, be nice to just kill the thing on exit. Any app that will auto-kill when an app exits?
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you have the memory management issues.
Before anyone gets tarred and feathered, that explains why many users on unrooted stock roms ha e frequent touchscreen lockups, hesitation and freezes. Guess theres a reason why the market has so many task killers. Maybe the devs should read this thread also lol. Instead of flaming, positive feedback is appreciated. I did search, but its a bit time consuming sifting through 5000 posts. Maybe you guys o rooted phones have no lockups, but google shows an azzload of people with similar issues.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
1) You've been given some answers in the thread, if you cared to look.
2) App that loses focus goes to background. That's the way OS is built. If you want apps to be killed on losing focus, get iOS 3 to run on your device. Seriously, what kind of answer would you expect, if you want to turn multitasking OS into non-multitasking?
3) The market has task killers because they can be written for multitasking OS, and because they help dealing with bad apps. Not for any other reason.
4) The OS loads some of your most used tasks when it runs, even if you don't know about it. Just loads in the memory, and allocates no CPU time. If you leave your phone unattended, your free memory goes down by itself. Why? Because free memory is wasted memory. You can check the "EMPTY" processes in Astro, for example.
5) The best task killer is careful selection of your apps. You see hangups? Find out the app that's doing it and remove it, or kill it specifically after running if it's necessary.
6) Task killers are a good source of lockups and freezes too, did you know? I guess you didn't read that thread...
All this meant to say: instead of looking for a way to cripple your OS, learn to select your apps, and don't solve issues that you don't have.
cmstlist said:
I find it even funnier how iOS4 users in Apple-land are suddenly freaking out that so many applications appear to be open "in the background" and complaining that they have to spend so much time "killing" apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I think Apple needs to tweak their multi-tasking still. I've played with my gf's iPhone a bit this week, and it's a little annoying how now you have to explicitly quit every app. For example, with the Settings app if I go to change a preference quickly then return to home Settings app is still in the running apps list. I think little utilities like that should be able to quit themselves automatically.
I know the app isn't wasting memory or CPU down there, but I just don't see why you would want it cluttering up your app switcher forever.
Oh well, it's progress though. At least now you don't have to quit everything else you're doing to listen to Pandora
well android does the same thing. if you go into the settings menu, then hit home button, the settings is still running in the background. of course andoird will kill it later when it needs to.

why are apps running when i dont open them? memory leak also..

could be a noob question
every once in a while i will go into my advance task killer and see a bunch of apps running that i didnt manually open. i just checked my phone to see sprint nav, mp3 store, droid locator, internet, ringdroid, etc.. it also takes my phone from 71m free to about 35-40m. ill kill the apps, and they will be open again without me touching the phone. am i stupid, or is there actually a problem?
Okay bc those stock apps are coded to run at startup, and open themselfs for ease-of-access, this is normal. If you want to stop that, add them to autokill, and use a startup manager (market) to remove them from the start up screen.
For the mem issues, try disabling the GPS lovation services, that eats up battery life AND mem, same with internet.
If you really want your phone to fly, don't use a task killer.
http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android/
abcdfv said:
If you really want your phone to fly, don't use a task killer.
http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In theory this is true but in reality it couldn't be more misleading. Yes a task killer, especially one that is always running and using up resources itself is probably less than optimal in an Android environment, however they are sometimes necessary because things do not always work as they are supposed to. If you have root it is better to just use AutoKiller as it doesn't just kill programs but helps the OS by allowing you to set the limits for when the OS should start closing things. It also allows you to manually kill anything not working right.
Of course this is just my opinion, but I have tried it both ways on 3 different Android phones and my results were the same on all.
jlem26 said:
however they are sometimes necessary because things do not always work as they are supposed to.
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Click to collapse
There's a section at the bottom that goes over this.
It's really more of an explanation that "Having free RAM will make my phone faster" will not make your phone faster.

[Q] Why does many installed apps increase lag?

Can't see why this is the case (but it obviously is) as long as I have lots of free disk space and not many apps running at the same time. Any logic in this?
I've been experiencing the same issue and wondering the same thing...
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S GT-I9000 using Tapatalk Pro
There seems to be several things causing this, but the two key issues are:
The moviNAND (the internal flash drive/"SSD") firmware seems to have an issue with fsync() taking extremely long. E.g., it slows down whenever a file is written/updated on the internal storage.
RFS, the file system used by Samsung is buggy as hell and corrupts data after a while.
There are several topics on these issues in the Android Development forum. There are also several "lag fixes" trying their best to overcome these issues. Go check them out
Einride said:
There seems to be several things causing this, but the two key issues are:
RFS, the file system used by Samsung is buggy as hell and corrupts data after a while.
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Click to collapse
We have no idea if that is ACTUALLY true.. Just because fsck picked some things up on 1 phone, doesn't mean it happens everywhere.. Furthermore, it doesn't mean the problems detected affect operations
that has no truth at all about more apps slowing down the phone, my phone is the prove
Before jpk i didn't noticed slowdowns with aprox 100 apps, now i do on jpk =/
Prolly that all pictures/links/info stays in his workmemory?
probably cause some of them run in the system memory or run at startup
KaliKot said:
probably cause some of them run in the system memory or run at startup
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Click to collapse
Bingo!
and that is what most people does not realize
they need to Optimize the phone, most people take it for granted
the phone is not a phone, the phone is a mini computer that fits in your hands
just like your big desktop PC it can go crazy if you don't take care of it
AllGamer said:
Bingo!
and that is what most people does not realize
they need to Optimize the phone, most people take it for granted
the phone is not a phone, the phone is a mini computer that fits in your hands
just like your big desktop PC it can go crazy if you don't take care of it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell me why with the same apps installed on the Nexus it doesn't lag like the SGS?
Can you stop blaming users when is the phone which doesn't work as expected?
Oletros said:
Can you tell me why with the same apps installed on the Nexus it doesn't lag like the SGS?
Can you stop blaming users when is the phone which doesn't work as expected?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
utter ****e -i have well over 100 apps on my sgs and experience NO lag whatsoever!
bonehooch said:
utter ****e -i have well over 100 apps on my sgs and experience NO lag whatsoever!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Utter ****e? Why?
it was mentioned many many times
just install autorunkiller and a good task manager then all the problems will be gone
stock ROM is very fast when you maintain the phone
AllGamer said:
it was mentioned many many times
just install autorunkiller and a good task manager then all the problems will be gone
stock ROM is very fast when you maintain the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With autokiller the phone is still laggy.
And please, stop thinking I'm stupid or I don't know a **** about smartphones, ROM's changing, firmware or knowing how a phone must run.
AFAIK this topic and its responses are for the OP
I have about 190 Apps installed and do not experience any diferene in overall speed of the phone. But only because i know that a lot of the programms start on boot and stay in background.
I have more than 15 apps turned off with the full version of autorun killer to prevent the auto restart of the apps. Otherwise the phone would definetaly slow down.
It´s really incredible what apps start on the boot!
TMReuffurth said:
I have about 190 Apps installed and do not experience any diferene in overall speed of the phone. But only because i know that a lot of the programms start on boot and stay in background.
I have more than 15 apps turned off with the full version of autorun killer to prevent the auto restart of the apps. Otherwise the phone would definetaly slow down.
It´s really incredible what apps start on the boot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you need to be rooted ti use all of the functions in autorun killer? I am not rooted.
Can you compile a breif list of the "biggest culprits" to stop with this utility to gain back the most speed and efficiency? I am a bit nervous that I will stop the wrong items and somehow damage my phone...
Autokiller and task killers are not the solution here! Quick lesson on Android, and why having even A SINGLE BAD APP is going to ruin your whole phone!
Android has something called an 'Intent'. In order to start an app, an intent is made by your launcher or a button you press, and the Android system reads this intent and works out what app it needs to start up.
There is a second type of intent though, called a 'Broadcast Intent'. This is an intent that is sent out to anything that is registered to listen to it. This means that an app can register to listen to all sorts of events, such as battery level changed, application start, or a tons of other things. Even if the application is closed, if it is registered as a listener, Android will start it right back up so it can deal with the intent. If the intent comes every 5 seconds, Android will run this app every 5 seconds even if you have a taskkiller killing the app.
The only real solution is to not install apps which are bad! Finding bad apps is a real mission, too. Hopefully in the future, utilities will be available to let us track down these terrible apps, but till then, you'll have to work it out yourself.
yiannisthegreek said:
Do you need to be rooted ti use all of the functions in autorun killer? I am not rooted.
Can you compile a breif list of the "biggest culprits" to stop with this utility to gain back the most speed and efficiency? I am a bit nervous that I will stop the wrong items and somehow damage my phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for Root to use all features of Autorun Killer. I would disable only the apps you know and which you do not need at startup and running in background, such as (in my case) Paypal, App Center from Androidpit, Daily Briefing, Photoshop Express, Word Press, TweetCaster, etc.
Every of these apps works normal, even when deactivatet on startup.
So unless you do not disable system apps (must be previously set enabled in settings) you are safe.
RyanZA said:
(...)There is a second type of intent though, called a 'Broadcast Intent'. This is an intent that is sent out to anything that is registered to listen to it.(...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any possibility/app to show what is registered for which app?
watching the apps
Samga said:
Is there any possibility/app to show what is registered for which app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an app called Autostarts at 0.95$.
It shows what is launched au startup, when you enable/disable wifi etc.
It think it gives insight on how apps seems launching out of nowhere.
I also reccomend Watchdog Task Manager Lite, the free version.
It does not kill anything, but notifies and logs the bad apps that consumes over a certain CPU percentage.

[Q] Is advanced task killer bad?

im reading that advanced task killer is good and bad, so is it bad to install or does it really work? im running CM7 Stable.
EverythingNook said:
im reading that advanced task killer is good and bad, so is it bad to install or does it really work? im running CM7 Stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything I've read says you don't need it with Android 2.2 and above.
I use it, nice quick and easy way to close things (like emulators that normally won't shut themselves off.)
dsf3g said:
Everything I've read says you don't need it with Android 2.2 and above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me too but my friends have 2.3 and they use it.
I use it if videos start to stutter (ie youtube etc). It seems to help.
It's bad if you set it to Auto-Kill. The reason is because from 2.2 onward, if you kill (not Force Close) and app, it'll just restart itself. That being said, Linux is not like Windows. With Linux, the OS will fill up memory (RAM) with whatever it can, in this case applications, even if you're not using them. HOWEVER, it will only dedicate the CPU to whatever you're actually using, so whatever is in memory and isn't being used won't affect you (aside from poorly-coded apps). You can use ATK to kill an app if it's just one or two, but not everything.
If you set ATK to auto-kill everything or if you hit Kill Everything, you'll have a ton of apps restarting at the same time, slowing down your phone for a while and eating battery.
Product F(RED) said:
It's bad if you set it to Auto-Kill. The reason is because from 2.2 onward, if you kill (not Force Close) and app, it'll just restart itself. That being said, Linux is not like Windows. With Linux, the OS will fill up memory (RAM) with whatever it can, in this case applications, even if you're not using them. HOWEVER, it will only dedicate the CPU to whatever you're actually using, so whatever is in memory and isn't being used won't affect you (aside from poorly-coded apps). You can use ATK to kill an app if it's just one or two, but not everything.
If you set ATK to auto-kill everything or if you hit Kill Everything, you'll have a ton of apps restarting at the same time, slowing down your phone for a while and eating battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alright ill stay away from it thanks!
That about sums it up. The only time an app should be killed is if a bug causes it to hang or slow down severely. Otherwise, let the Android system handle things itself.
In my experience it's nice to have for when you need to kill off a specific game or resource intensive app that seems to be slowing things down.
Product F(RED) said:
It's bad if you set it to Auto-Kill. The reason is because from 2.2 onward, if you kill (not Force Close) and app, it'll just restart itself. That being said, Linux is not like Windows. With Linux, the OS will fill up memory (RAM) with whatever it can, in this case applications, even if you're not using them. HOWEVER, it will only dedicate the CPU to whatever you're actually using, so whatever is in memory and isn't being used won't affect you (aside from poorly-coded apps). You can use ATK to kill an app if it's just one or two, but not everything.
If you set ATK to auto-kill everything or if you hit Kill Everything, you'll have a ton of apps restarting at the same time, slowing down your phone for a while and eating battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so would you recommended going into the app itself and picking the apps i want to be closed? or could i also use the widget to close all of them?
I would only recommend going into the app itself, long-pressing on the app you want to kill, and then pressing kill. Closing all of them just forces a large number of apps to restart. I really only use it to kill certain apps that are more difficult to close.

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