The Emperor Has No Close

[Rocco Augusto]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2006/10/05/The-Emperor-Has-No-Close.aspx' target='_blank'>http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2006/10/05/The-Emperor-Has-No-Close.aspx</a><br /><br /></div>"<i>I’ve done blog entries on compaction threads, memory consumption, difficulties in doing upgrades, voice command not working over bluetooth, and 240x240 screens. Now I’m going to do one on why the little “X” button on PocketPCs doesn’t close apps. Am I insane? Do I like having you people kick me around? Well, maybe “yes” on the former, but definitely “no” on the latter. That said, someone needs to explain why we do the things we do, and that someone might as well be me. So why is it that there’s no easy way to actually close apps on Windows Mobile devices? Sharpen your pitchforks, collect your torches, sit back, and I’ll tell you.</i>"<br /><br />This is another beautifully written article by Mike Calligaro that finally sheds some light on one of my top five annoyances with the Windows Mobile World: closing applications. While this article's main focus is on the Pocket PC, the same principles apply to the Windows Mobile Smartphone world as well. There are a lot of interesting points, but I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid just yet. Leaving applications open to load them quickly is great, but have you ever left your camera application and Internet Explorer open at the same time for six or more hours? This is something I do often and I only pick up on my mishap because I notice a large majority of my battery power has gone missing. A handy feature? Maybe. Annoying and power hungry? Definitely! :)

[Jerry Raia]

Nice. Agenda Fusion on the Pocket PC side of things lets you choose. When you hit the "X" the application closes or hibernates depending on how you set it up in the options. Why isn't that the standard?

[ctmagnus]

I just did up a post on that subject here (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=419603#419603). Of note, ...I've noticed a slight lag in the OS when closing an application if I set the X button to close by default. If I set the button to minimize by default and then close the application I recently minimized at a later time, I don't notice that lag..

[Sven Johannsen]

Nothin new in that artical for me. This has been discussed numerous times with most of the same points made. Guess this is the official MS admission though.

Personally the only things I have ever disagreed with is the selection of X, because it doen't 'close' things. People don't think the app 'goes away' on the desktop. They thing...know...it closes. A minimize bar would have been much more appropriate. Second was the taboo of a quit menu item. Guess that is less discouraged than it was, but it is still not encouraged.

I'm a bit surprised at Rocco's experience, unless he (you) are talking about PPCs. I have found the memory management on my Smartphones has actually worked very well. I haven't installed any Task Manager software on them and can't remember the last time I forced programs to close on my SPs. PPCs are another story. Every one of them has a task manager and it is likely the most used app on the device. My wife, on the other hand, doesn't worry so much about closing apps and really doesn't complain about performance, even though I tend to find a lot of stuff running when I get a chance to check her machine. Guess a lot is dependant on the user.

[Rocco Augusto]

Guess a lot is dependant on the user.

i usually get really busy and forget to clear the task manager. when i do get a chance to look/clean, there are usually a fair amount of programs opened :)

[Mike Temporale]

i usually get really busy and forget to clear the task manager. when i do get a chance to look/clean, there are usually a fair amount of programs opened :)

But Sven does have a point. I don't notice it slowing down the device much at all. Unlike the Pocket PC where a couple open apps can really kill performance. And further to that, my wife has never really complained about her kJam being slow. She has told me it's hung a couple times and she had to reset it. Perhaps this is the result of not managing memory on the PPC. ;)

[Jerry Raia]

my wife has never really complained about her kJam being slow. She has told me it's hung a couple times and she had to reset it. Perhaps this is the result of not managing memory on the PPC. ;)

I bet memory leaks from poorly written applications, can cause a lot of the hangups that we see. Like xbar for example.

[Sven Johannsen]

my wife has never really complained about her kJam being slow. She has told me it's hung a couple times and she had to reset it. Perhaps this is the result of not managing memory on the PPC. ;)

I bet memory leaks from poorly written applications, can cause a lot of the hangups that we see.

I bet that is a truer statement than many would imagine. I bet few PPC users use the thing out of the box, doing no more than syncing Outlook. I had some execs in a company I worked for and they did pretty much that. Rarely had any issues, and they were running old iPaqs (Compaq branded).

[DaleReeck]

Normally, developers make defaults that either a majority of people will want or cause the least amount of problems for newbies. In the case of the early decision to manage memory, they were going after the latter.

But in reality, I would think its actually reversed. Techies know how to manage memory and shut down programs. They know what to do when devices become sluggish (or how to prevent sluggishness in the first place). Newbies don't. Newbies won't go into the manager to close programs manually and rarely regularly reset their devices. They will only reset when it stops working. Therefore, IMO, closing apps on "x" should have been the default since the general rule "the more memory you have available, the better" woukd best apply. If newbies are always closing their programs instead of just minimizing them, they will generally have less issues with their PDAs, at least as far as memory is concerned.

[Jerry Raia]

Well stated.

[Sven Johannsen]

On the other hand, those same newbies/tech naive users, may tend to have fewer, and more mainstream additional apps loaded than those of us who have an add/remove list that takes minutes to scroll through. With fewer additional programs to hose up the management, I bet resetting/closing apps isn't as big a requirement.

Just an anecdotal experience. I had an extremely stable PPC when I had Sprite backup set to automatically back up very morning at 4AM...and reset upon completion. I found I hardly ever had issues during the day. :)

[Jerry Raia]

The reboot no doubt cleared things up I would think.