Meaning of "multitasking" on iPhone, iPad, etc
in [UK Mac]
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From: James Taylor on 28 Jan 2010 07:43 yitzhak wrote: > The iPhone has a hardware button below the screen, which you press whenever > an application is running, in order to get back to the 'home' screen, i.e. > the screen with all the pretty little icons. > > If you're running an application, say you're listening to a foreign radio > station, and you want to check your e-mail, the radio application will exit > if you press the hardware button. That is, the radio will stop. You then > have to launch it again and do whatever it requires, to get the radio back. So, despite the fact that the iPhone OS *is* a multitasking OS, the GUI actively quits applications you are using as you switch. Apple must have done *extra* work to include that feature. > If your iPhone is jailbroken, there is a little 'backgrounder' app that you > can install with Cydia, but it wreaks havoc with the battery life. And I guess battery life is the reason Apple chose to have apps quit as you switch. The term "multitasking" is being misused, of course, but journalists who don't understand this stuff misuse terminology and then we're all swept along with the misuse of it. -- James Taylor
From: James Taylor on 28 Jan 2010 07:47 Richard Tobin wrote: > In effect, the GUI enforces single tasking even though the operating > system doesn't. That's why a jailbroken iPhone *can* do real > multitasking, by taking control away from the GUI. So Apple seem to be actively encouraging people to jailbreak their phones. I didn't think that was their intent. Are they just stupid, or is there some hidden motive for forcing people to jailbreak? -- James Taylor
From: Jim on 28 Jan 2010 07:51 On 2010-01-28, James Taylor <usenet(a)oakseed.demon.co.uk.invalid> wrote: > >> If your iPhone is jailbroken, there is a little 'backgrounder' app that you >> can install with Cydia, but it wreaks havoc with the battery life. > > And I guess battery life is the reason Apple chose to have apps quit as > you switch. My guess would be a combination of battery life, speed and stability. There's not a lot of RAM in there, remember. Jim -- http://www.ursaMinorBeta.co.uk http://twitter.com/GreyAreaUK "Get over here. Now. Might be advisable to wear brown trousers and a shirt the colour of blood." Malcolm Tucker, "The Thick of It"
From: Jim on 28 Jan 2010 07:53 On 2010-01-28, James Taylor <usenet(a)oakseed.demon.co.uk.invalid> wrote: > Richard Tobin wrote: > >> In effect, the GUI enforces single tasking even though the operating >> system doesn't. That's why a jailbroken iPhone *can* do real >> multitasking, by taking control away from the GUI. > > So Apple seem to be actively encouraging people to jailbreak their > phones. I didn't think that was their intent. Are they just stupid, or > is there some hidden motive for forcing people to jailbreak? They're not forcing anyone to Jailbreak. Look, it's simple: if the device doesn't do what you want, don't buy the device. Jim -- http://www.ursaMinorBeta.co.uk http://twitter.com/GreyAreaUK "Get over here. Now. Might be advisable to wear brown trousers and a shirt the colour of blood." Malcolm Tucker, "The Thick of It"
From: Ian McCall on 28 Jan 2010 08:04
On 2010-01-28 12:51:24 +0000, Jim <jim(a)magrathea.plus.com> said: > My guess would be a combination of battery life, speed and stability. > There's not a lot of RAM in there, remember. Battery life comes up a lot, but my phone spends an awful lot of its life sat in a dock in front of me whilst at the office. Battery life I'm barely fussed about when it comes to multitasking. Cheers, Ian |