The Emperor Has No Close

Rocco Augusto · Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 7:00 am Post subject: The Emperor Has No Close

http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile...s-No-Close.aspx

"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."

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! Smile

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Jerry Raia · Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 9:28 am Post subject:

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?
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ctmagnus · Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 2:53 pm Post subject:

I just did up a post on that subject here . Of note,

sven · Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:13 pm Post subject:

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.
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Rocco Augusto · Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 5:48 am Post subject:

Mike Temporale · Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 6:09 am Post subject:

Jerry Raia · Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 9:43 am Post subject:

sven · Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2006 9:18 pm Post subject:

DaleReeck · Smartphone Pupil Joined: 30 Aug 2004 Posts: 19

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 · Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:13 pm Post subject:

Well stated.
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