06-06-2003, 03:00 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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To Close, Or Not To Close?
The Pocket PC is different from your desktop in a number of ways, as it should be. It is a different platform. There are a number of things on the Pocket PC I would like to see adopted on the desktop. One of my favorites is the Document View applications have. When I open Excel on my PC I am staring at a blank document. When I open it on my Pocket PC, I am staring at a list of Excel file. The latter is far more likely to be useful for me. I spend much more time updating and reviewing files rather than starting from scratch.
Another area the Pocket PC and desktop differ greatly is how to close applications. There are several ways to close programs on the desktop: press the big "X" in the upper right corner, select File|Close from the menu, or press ALT-F4. Plus you can get nasty with the Task Manager if necessary. On the Pocket PC, you are to leave the application alone. If it hangs for some reason, there is a 8+ tap backdoor via Start|Settings|System|Memory|Running Programs|Select App|Stop|Ok. Beyond that, the Pocket PC should handle your memory for you, efficiently closing applications as they fade to the background having been unused for a while. Microsoft is so much in favor of this method, they withhold their logo certification from any application that includes an "Exit" command anywhere within the menu structure.
So, does this work for you? Once you vote, add a comment supporting why you voted the way you did. I am interested in hearing a wide array of opinions. Sometime next week, I will follow up with a summary of the voting, the comments and then add my own opinion.
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06-06-2003, 03:04 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 309
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Well, the need for a separate task manager is the biggest fault in the ppc os imho. :twisted:
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06-06-2003, 03:05 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 10,981
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I selected "I manage my Pocket PC just like my desktop and close apps as I see fit."
I am in and out of Pocket Excel all day/night. I have found that if I close the application, it takes too long to open it next time. I only close the small applications that I use once in a while - like games, or conversion utils. Any of the heavier apps I leave running and let the PPC handle them.
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06-06-2003, 03:06 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 31
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Memory on a desktop is dirt cheap these days. I can open my e-mail, MS Word, Excel, IE, and anything else and leave it open all day long if I want. W? BIC! 512MB is why!!!
Memory on my PPC is at a premium though. I have to micromanage that little tiny space as much as I can, or suffer performance issues.
What I'm really getting at here is: GIMMIE MY CLOSE BUTTON!!!
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06-06-2003, 03:08 PM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 734
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I usually just close things when I don't need them anymore, or when memory gets low. It's really annoying quite a few apps don't have an exit button: makes it so much easier for me to shut it down without having to jump through hoops.
I don't use certain apps all that much, like the contacts, agenda, word, excel.. but I do like to read or play quake, both activities that require a lot of memory.. so whenever I want to read or play a game, I have to shut down all my other programs! It's really annoying! They should :bangin: the person who thought up this stupid idea..
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06-06-2003, 03:14 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 381
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ms's strategy would be great, if it actually worked. i notice slowdows all the time w/ large programs. heck, even all the OEMs include a task manager. MS needs to at least put in the OPTION to enable close...
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06-06-2003, 03:15 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 405
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Like my PC
I'll leave pretty much any of the PIM stuff open, but things like Media player, Photo software, File explorer or games all get closed upon completion of the session they were opened for, otherwise things start to slow down which is my #1 irk.
I like an exit button/menu selection, when I try an app that has one, it's more likely to get my nod (and $$$) than one without it with similar features.
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06-06-2003, 03:21 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 63
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I learned early to despise the lack of an actual "exit" from an application when using my first Pocket PC (one of the first run of the 3600 iPAQs). With the daily use of multiple applications, the "sleep-like" exiting of applications meant that additional resources were being tied up needlessly, increasing throughout the day. I had hoped that would have been an issue addressed in the Pocket PC 2002 OS, but we all know that wasn't the case either.
As a result, I've habitually added applications like WisBar, not for their aesthetic aspects, but because it easily gives me direct access to actually close programs when I'm done with them.
__________________
um, Moo
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06-06-2003, 03:27 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 6
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This has got to be the most one-sided poll I've ever seen. MS should read and head.
If it wasn't for Wisbar or similar apps, I'm sure I would be a disatisfied PPC user. Luckily these apps make it easy to close programs and therfore manage my PPC memory/speed.
Thanks Wisbar
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06-06-2003, 03:28 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 340
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While I will close programs as I see fit, it is more of a force of habit than necessity. When I first started with my Casio E125, I had to clear the memory out before I opened my budget worksheets in Excel. Out of 32mgs, 3mgs would go to the OS, 15mgs were files in storage, and opening Excel would slow it down severely if I did not remember to close Windows Media Player.
Today I am using an Audiovox Maestro which has the same ram but of course a better processor and software. I feel that the memory management works better and the need to manage the memory is not as necessary. My favorite pastime on the train to and from work is listeneing to music and playing a game on the Maestro. It works seamlessly as long as I remember to turn off the sound on the game I'm playing.
As to Microsoft's reluctance in truly "closing" an app, I feel that there is a logic to it.
1. As long as there is enough memory on hand, why not keep the program active. By keeping it in ram, it will be available so much quicker if the user goes back to it.
2. The other difference is that Pocketpc are not meant to be mini computers. Microsoft views them as appliances and wants the consumer's interaction with them to be as smooth and simple as you would expect from a cell phone or a cd player.
It more of a quirk than a problem.
Steve 8)
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