Do you ever just not feel, you know, fresh?

[Jason Dunn]

I install a lot of 3rd party applications on my HP 565, and despite having an iPAQ 3870 that I swore would be my "beta device", I always install applications onto my HP 565 to test them. Inevitably, after a few months I end up with a sluggish device that just doesn't quite work the way it used to. Even after un-installing everything I installed, it's not quite as fast as it should be. Ditto for Windows XP on my desktop - why is this a common factor in all Microsoft operating systems? Does the same thing happen on Linux or Macs?<br /><br />At any rate, I decided to hard reset my HP 565 and start over - and once again I'm amazed at how fast and responsive it is. I name my all computers after feudal Japanese weapons and cultural elements, so my main Pocket PC is always "LittleShogun". Here's where the Pocket PC really starts to fall flat on it's face: restoring a device. If I were to put it in the cradle without first changing the device name, it would create a partnership with Pocket_PC (the default name), completely ignoring the fact that I already have a profile set up and several files that I want to put on the device. Why doesn't it ask if a profile already created should be restored? I changed the device name to "LittteShogun" and deleted the old partnership name before I synced because I've done this before. Yes, I made a typo in the name - which is where the fun started. It synched up just fine, but I was puzzled as to why my files didn't sync until I saw the typo. I changed the name of the device, synced it again, but ActiveSync isn't smart enough to change the name of the synched file folder.<br /><br />Changing the name of the synchronize folder seems to have thrown ActiveSync into fits - I just tried to sync and I got a nice red "X" and a "Synchronization Error" message. No explanation, just an error. How does that help the user? My next sync attempt resulted in a locked up ActiveSync process that was constantly looking for changes - even after I took the device out of the cradle. Eventually I manually killed ActiveSync and restarted it, and now my Pocket PC is happy - but only after I hacked the registry to point at the properly spelled file sync folder. Augh! If someone like me struggles with this, what hope is there for all of you? ;-)

[brntcrsp]

I've encountered the same headache time and time again. I hate the fact that I can't choose pre-existing profiles to sync with. Nothing like having duplicated data! mm mm good!

[JonathanWardRogers]

I've experienced the same thing. I now know I have to rename my Pocket PC before I sync the next time. One thing that does work the way I think it should is the restore. If you are restoring you Pocket PC, you can sign in as Guest and restore from any stg file and you'll get your old partnership back.

I've also experienced the sluggish response. I don't think it is the OS. I am a programmer, and I know how complicated it is to write an app that conforms to the windows logo standards. I don't think most programmers would even dream of doing this unless they're writing shrink-wrapped software (where they'd put the logo). The problem is, the logo requirements are there for a reason. When programmers ignore them (or rather, ignore the concepts behind them), they run the risk of "contaminating" (for lack of a better word) the system. Registry entries here, dlls there, everywhere a font font, etc. Even though these things have a very small impact on performance, they add up.

There is also the matter of memory management. Many programmers leave the memory management details to Windows. This works well in some cases, but can degrade system performance in others. Some programs just should not use the built in memory management - the app just doesn't fit the model.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think that all Windows programmers are ignorant or have no talent. But it is a key factor in the stability and performance of the OS. Think of the typical Unix programmer compared to the typical Windows programmer. You have to have a lot more knowledge of how the OS works to effectively program in a Unix environment. Inevitably with this knowledge comes experience. Experience that the average VB user does not have, and probably never will have. Even in C++, this still holds true. The average Unix programmer is probably better (or at least knows more about how the OS works) than the average Windows programmer. I've heard so many Unix frea... uh... fans spew out complaint after self-righteous complaint about how unstable Windows is.

I'd love to see how stable Unix is with the windows programmer base developing for it. Of course, it would never happen, and that is Unix's strong point - experienced programmers with keener insights into the internal workings of the OS.

Getting back to the Pocket PC, I'd love to see more control over profiles in ActiveSync. Like, for instance, profile swapping. In my company, we have a few Pocket PCs that our technicians take with them in the field. Since we don't have overlapping shifts, we use the same Pocket PCs for the day and night shifts. Because of this, we don't allow software to be installed that would change or complicate the operation of the device. But if we could swap profiles, then we could allow them to install WIS bar, Gigabar, Dashboard, Agenda Fusion, etc.

Ok, that's my rant for the day.

[Aaron]

I thought after a hard reset you should connect as "guest" and then choose restore. This will restore your PPC and it's partnership, then soft reset the device and resync and voila! I've had to do this several times to get rid of apps that have clogged my PPC to a crawl.

[JoeThielen]

Registry entries here, dlls there, everywhere a font font, etc.


Oh my God... after reading the title, and this little tidbit, I couldn't stop laughing! Thanks you guys for brightening my day :).

[Jason Dunn]

I thought after a hard reset you should connect as "guest" and then choose restore. This will restore your PPC and it's partnership, then soft reset the device and resync and voila! I've had to do this several times to get rid of apps that have clogged my PPC to a crawl.


ActiveSync restore is plagued with issues, so I avoid it completely. There are too many minor things that can trip it up like city, time zone, etc.

[charlie]

Even after un-installing everything I installed, it's not quite as fast as it should be. Ditto for Windows XP on my desktop - why is this a common factor in all Microsoft operating systems? Does the same thing happen on Linux or Macs?


does anyone running linux on their ipaq have any experience with this?

btw, since this is PocketPCThoughts and not really PocketPCAndSometimesAlternateOSesThoughts, are you going to delete my posts or whatever for talking about linux here?

charlie

[Paragon]

I thought after a hard reset you should connect as "guest" and then choose restore. This will restore your PPC and it's partnership, then soft reset the device and resync and voila! I've had to do this several times to get rid of apps that have clogged my PPC to a crawl.


Aaron

You can do this, but if you are doing a hard reset to clean out your device, when you restore you are doing just that 'restoring it to the way it was before...sluggish.

What I have done that works very well, is once you have hard reset and set your device up the way you want, do a backup befoe you junk it up again, and save it. This way you don't need to reinstall everything, and you are not restoring all the junk you have collected along the way.

I have also had problems with e-mail and connection settings messing up on me and not being able to get them to work properly. When this happens I hard reset and restore to this backup. It works every time.

Dave

[CME2C]

What I have done with my Pocket PCs is create a backup file that has my ideal information. I hard reset my device and then install all of my core programs that don't change. I will always have code wallet, always have pocket athlete, Pocket TV/Divx, etc. I then make a backup with these core programs. That way after I start to get overloaded I just hard reset and restore my device from backup (I use the CF backup utility on my Maestro and did the same with my ipaq previously Just keep the backup file somewhere safe or it will get overwritten. That way you only have to reinstall a few programs when you want to clean up. I can then try all the programs I want. After a month or so the "junk builds up and I just restore to the previous backup. If there are any new "core" programs I add them to my "core" backup and then feel free to try new programs. It now takes me a third of the time to hard reset my device. I definitely notice a performance difference resetting my device every couple of months.

Mike

[Jason Dunn]

btw, since this is PocketPCThoughts and not really PocketPCAndSometimesAlternateOSesThoughts, are you going to delete my posts or whatever for talking about linux here?


No of course not! Heck, this server is running Linux. That will change later this year, but I'm not so thick-headed not to understand that Windows isn't the solution to everything. :-)

[Jason Dunn]

What I have done with my Pocket PCs is create a backup file that has my ideal information. I hard reset my device and then install all of my core programs that don't change.


Exactly what I do now! :-) Of course, it doesn't help with the stupid partnership issues that keep cropping up...

And for the record, never, ever do a "combine" of your data if given the choice - you'll have an insane amount of duplicated data. It truly sucks. :evil:

[/dev/niall]

There is also the matter of memory management. Many programmers leave the memory management details to Windows. This works well in some cases, but can degrade system performance in others. Some programs just should not use the built in memory management - the app just doesn't fit the model.

Not quite sure what you're getting at here. Are you talking about folks allocating memory and then not freeing it?


The average Unix programmer is probably better (or at least knows more about how the OS works) than the average Windows programmer. I've heard so many Unix frea... uh... fans spew out complaint after self-righteous complaint about how unstable Windows is.


I can't say that I've found this to be this case, and I've worked with Windows and Unix programmers on many projects. A good programmer is a good programmer, period.


I'd love to see how stable Unix is with the windows programmer base developing for it. Of course, it would never happen, and that is Unix's strong point - experienced programmers with keener insights into the internal workings of the OS.

As a longtime Linux user, I've enjoyed downloading other folk's source code along with the applications. A lot of it is very nasty code. ;)


Getting back to the Pocket PC, I'd love to see more control over profiles in ActiveSync. Like, for instance, profile swapping. In my company, we have a few Pocket PCs that our technicians take with them in the field. Since we don't have overlapping shifts, we use the same Pocket PCs for the day and night shifts. Because of this, we don't allow software to be installed that would change or complicate the operation of the device. But if we could swap profiles, then we could allow them to install WIS bar, Gigabar, Dashboard, Agenda Fusion, etc.


Now that would be a cool feature, and I don't let anyone use my iPaq. ;) It would be nice to have "Travel", "Workday", "Weekend" profiles.

[/dev/niall]

For what it's worth, newer Linux kernels run faster and faster on the same old hardware, while newer versions of Windows seem to get slower and slower. Not that big of a deal for me, as it's a handy excuse to get a faster system. ;)

It's been almost a year since I had Linux on my iPaq, but I don't remember it being that much faster than Pocket PC 2000.

That being said, I was reminded yesterday of how slow PPC2002 is! I used my Carepaq to exchange my 3650, and of course the new unit came back with PPC2000 on it. It was a LOT faster than 2002. I'm almost tempted to downgrade. Almost.

[JonathanWardRogers]

There is also the matter of memory management. Many programmers leave the memory management details to Windows. This works well in some cases, but can degrade system performance in others. Some programs just should not use the built in memory management - the app just doesn't fit the model.

Not quite sure what you're getting at here. Are you talking about folks allocating memory and then not freeing it?

No. Here's a hypothetical for instance (and I am, by no means, an expert programmer, so please ignore my glaring mistakes): I have a program that uses large DEM files. I need to calculate the ground distance between two points. I could just load the file into memory and let windows handle the swapping for me. Of course, this is just plain silly. It would make a lot more sense for me to write a routine that would load only the area that was involved in the route I wish to plot.

I realize that isn't a very "real world" example, but I'm feeling particularly non-creative (is that a word?) today.



The average Unix programmer is probably better (or at least knows more about how the OS works) than the average Windows programmer. I've heard so many Unix frea... uh... fans spew out complaint after self-righteous complaint about how unstable Windows is.


I can't say that I've found this to be this case, and I've worked with Windows and Unix programmers on many projects. A good programmer is a good programmer, period.


Sorry, what I should have said was "knowledgable" programmer, not good.



I'd love to see how stable Unix is with the windows programmer base developing for it. Of course, it would never happen, and that is Unix's strong point - experienced programmers with keener insights into the internal workings of the OS.

As a longtime Linux user, I've enjoyed downloading other folk's source code along with the applications. A lot of it is very nasty code. ;)


True, but in general, Unix programmers are more knowledgable than windows programmers. Confusing code is not always easy to write. (Take the Obfuscated C Code (http://www.ioccc.org/) contest, for example)

Don't get me wrong, I agree that Unix is much more stable than windows. I just think that alot of the instability of Windows is a direct result of ignorant programmers. My wife never installs anything on her computer, and it is still just a snappy and responsive as it was when I initially set it up. On the next desk over is my computer. More than twice the speed and half again as much memory, and it runs like it's a 486. Of course, not a day goes by when I don't install or uninstall a program. That's got to mean something, and I think it is the quality of programmers. I mean, come on - you would never find a Unix programmer who didn't know what a "console app" was, but I could point out a plethora of Windows programmers who don't.

Ok, stepping off of my (much belabored) soapbox now...

[Jason Dunn]

Thanks for sharing that Jonathan - it's nice to hear from a programmer that can explain things I can't. :-) I agree completely that if you leave Windows alone, it runs fine. I have friends who never install anything on their computer, and it never slows down over time. Some days my 1 Ghz Athlon stumbles along like it's got 10 mhz under the hood, but like you I'm constantly abusing it with applications. I *do* wish that Windows was better at purging applications when you uninstall them - that would fix most of the problem we're talking aobut.

[burmashave]

Exactly what I do now! :-) Of course, it doesn't help with the stupid partnership issues that keep cropping up...


The same problem has happened to me a bunch of times. What amazes me about the partner problems is how deeply it is embedded in the desktop and PPC registries. I have tried really hard to delete all potentially offending keys; however, I have had no luck at all. Either the information is encoded, or it exists as a GUID with an obscure name or reference.

I simply rename my PPC every time I have to do a hard restore.

[/dev/niall]

True, but in general, Unix programmers are more knowledgable than windows programmers. Confusing code is not always easy to write.

Well, I'll just have to respectfully disagree with you then. I can see your point, but I can slow my computer to a crawl with Gnome just as easily as I can with Windows. Comparing rock-solid Unix servers to our hokey desktops isn't a fair comparison IMHO.

I agree with you completely on your other points though: It's very easy to be a lazy or ignorant programmer these days, and there are plenty of them out there.

[yup]

I install a lot of 3rd party applications [....] Even after un-installing everything I installed, it's not quite as fast as it should be. Ditto for Windows XP on my desktop - why is this a common factor in all Microsoft operating systems? Does the same thing happen on Linux or Macs?


No Jason, it doesn't happen on Linx nor Mac OS, they _are_ operating system, not only GUIs for "click and shout" persons. The above two operating systems are operated by a beast called "computer literate" i.e. somebody that knows what to do around an operating system and like to have control on what the computer does, when it does it and how it does it.

Leaving irony aside, that's one of the main gripes I have against M$ operating systems (PPC included): They're so bloated, leaving tons of files around, growing caches shamelessly (hint: try "cleaning temporary internet files" and see how much space you reclaim), uninstalling software doesn't really remove the files, registries entries, etc. For example I had to manually reboot my Win2k machine in Linux (yes, I'm a UNIX heavy person but there is also the "clueless girlfriend" factor involved that needs Win2k running....*sob*) to manually remove the registry entries, DLLs and files associated with a driver went astray.

All in all: If you really have no choice but keep M$ OSes around, learn to live with it. And don't forget that in this world there are some less fortunate ones (read: clueless idiots) that work for the same company producing these OSes and they are "free to innovate" (hej Andy !!). They need to have a living too.... :P

[Take1]

I'd 'refresh' my iPAQ 3835, but I can't becasue I've got a registered copy of MS Reader on the current ROM image and don't want to 'lose' an activation (they only give you 4). I've only got one activation left (which will be put on my XP system once I'm convinced it's stable and no problems pop-up).

[seanturner]

But it does happen on MacOS and Linux and Solaris. I've seen Ultra60's which havn't been reinstalled in a couple of years that struggle running a calculator. Not to mention G4 towers which crash on an hourly basis (i havn't really tried OS X though). Its not just windows. :?