Task Killer Apps...Good or Bad?

[cereal killer]

you can see what's running by going home - menu - settings - applications - manage applications - filter - running.

or create a short cut to manage applications and then choose menu - filter - running.

exactly what I do..using a 3rd party app to manage the system is asking for problems. Using the native one is a "safer" bet I believe.

When I first got the device an ATK was one of the first things I installed. Caused 2 lock-ups. I was ONLY using it to shut down the Browser, Market and Maps.

Ever since I uninstalled it I have not had the issue. I for one will never use one again.

 

[bobdoering]

Major difference

Using ATK to kill ALL running tasks and then using the native process described above shows about 25 tasks still running.
Must be some explanation?

 

[cereal killer]

you can see what's running by going home - menu - settings - applications - manage applications - filter - running.

or create a short cut to manage applications and then choose menu - filter - running.

I know that. But when I ran Task Manager what it showed running and what it showed in applications wasn't the same. So who do you believe?

Don't know about you but I go with what the native app is telling me not 3rd party.

Whenever you add a 3rd party app or piece of software to an existing OS the probability for problems increases.

Whether it works great for the next guy is irrelevant.

There are countless threads around the net about people having problems with Weatherbug messing with their Droid while others have no issue with it.

Same thing here. I'd rather have people err on the side of caution and not introduce a potential problem onto their device. Especially when there are MUCH better options as described by 640k

 

[RW-1]

You can also see some of what you are using with ASTRO, in tools.

 

[Martin030908]

so.... which one had more? maybe they're just identified differently? why would google try to hide anything?

Task Manager always shows a bunch of stuff running. Stuff I may not have even touched, like Corporate Calendar and Twidroid. What's interesting and many others have confirmed this is 10 minutes later 70% of the stuff you killed is running again. According to Task manager, that is.

If it's gonna open on it's own anyway... doesn't this make the use of a Task Killer pointless? The native OS has a task manager built in to assist if the device gets hung up.
The OS also handles is resources well, calling upon certain apps when needed and re-claiming the memory allocated to them when needed by a different app.

 

[BzB]

i have atk but rarely use it. when i do use it i also select it as one of the applications to close when i press the end button. that way it closes the other apps i selected and it shuts itself down completely.

i don't ever leave it running in the background...

 

[samiusmc]

I use Advanced Task Manager. I exclude all native apps and just use it to kill 3rd party apps since some of them are written poorly and consume too many Droid resources. I don't see any harm doing that. FYI, has anyone else noticed that Verizon took ATK off the V- Cast list in the market? Is this an acknowledgment that task killers aren't needed or unwise to use?

 

[czerdrill]

Don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but when I had ATK installed, my phone shut off on me without me even knowing. When I checked it I saw it was dead, and couldn't turn it on without popping the battery out and back in. Uninstalled it and it never happened again.

The OS doesn't need a task killer, it natively manages tasks and memory allocation quite nicely.

 

[hookbill]

Don't know if it was a coincidence or not, but when I had ATK installed, my phone shut off on me without me even knowing. When I checked it I saw it was dead, and couldn't turn it on without popping the battery out and back in. Uninstalled it and it never happened again.

The OS doesn't need a task killer, it natively manages tasks and memory allocation quite nicely.

Your not the only one to say that, I've seen that on several threads.

Interesting how opinion seems so deeply divided on these apps. Even though the poll is showing a slight advantage for downloading, it would appear to me that the arguments against using a task killer app are more compelling.

 

[Froodychick]

Hum, interesting thread. I've been using ATK for most of the time that I've owned my Droid. When I didn't run it, I had very poor battery life. One charge would not last me a whole day. Now that I use ATK, I have about 1/2 battery at the end of the day. Sound like most folks haven't been having that much trouble with battery life. Perhaps I've been doing something wrong to run the battery down so quickly. On the other hand I haven't had any problems with my Droid. Not sure if I should try it without ATK for a while or not?

 

[vrdubin6]

Of course you can force stop programs within the system itself. I see that arguement being the same as someone asking why you would run an app such as pure grid calendar. I mean the droid comes with a calendar app built in right? What is the harm in having an app that does the same thing but has a far more user friendly layout. Sometimes it just seems like people are arguing about stuff for the sake of arguing.

I agree that having a task killer and using it to close EVERYTHING every 15 minutes is retarded and will slow down the system. Use it wisely and it will come in handy.

 

[Psychokitty]

I kill everything via the stock settings menu, but not because apps running in the background are hogging my CPU resources. They are hogging my battery resources.

 

[czerdrill]

Of course you can force stop programs within the system itself. I see that arguement being the same as someone asking why you would run an app such as pure grid calendar. I mean the droid comes with a calendar app built in right? What is the harm in having an app that does the same thing but has a far more user friendly layout. Sometimes it just seems like people are arguing about stuff for the sake of arguing.

I agree that having a task killer and using it to close EVERYTHING every 15 minutes is retarded and will slow down the system. Use it wisely and it will come in handy.

Simply because it is 100% not necessary. A better calendar app may be necessary, beacuse it may offer more features or may look better than the stock. An android (linux kernel) OS simply does not need nor benefit from a task killer. I think everyone is in an MS mindset, and that's why they feel its necessary.

Linux handles memory far more efficiently than Windows. Windows leaves too much memory that should be cached, free, and caches at stupid times. It's all about hardware/software interaction. Linux uses memory like its suppose to use memory. All available memory (pretty much) is used for programs and caching. Swapping is only used when absolutely necessary unlike windows that'll try to access swap anytime it wants. You DON'T need a task killer because it's overkill in an android (linux) system. The reason it could be harmful is because it's an app created by a third party that may be unstable. I think any benefit achieved by a task killing app would be negligible but don't quote me on that.

 

[vrdubin6]

Of course you can force stop programs within the system itself. I see that arguement being the same as someone asking why you would run an app such as pure grid calendar. I mean the droid comes with a calendar app built in right? What is the harm in having an app that does the same thing but has a far more user friendly layout. Sometimes it just seems like people are arguing about stuff for the sake of arguing.

I agree that having a task killer and using it to close EVERYTHING every 15 minutes is retarded and will slow down the system. Use it wisely and it will come in handy.

Simply because it is 100% not necessary. A better calendar app may be necessary, beacuse it may offer more features or may look better than the stock. An android (linux kernel) OS simply does not need nor benefit from a task killer. I think everyone is in an MS mindset, and that's why they feel its necessary.

Linux handles memory far more efficiently than Windows. Windows leaves too much memory that should be cached, free, and caches at stupid times. It's all about hardware/software interaction. Linux uses memory like its suppose to use memory. All available memory (pretty much) is used for programs and caching. Swapping is only used when absolutely necessary unlike windows that'll try to access swap anytime it wants. You DON'T need a task killer because it's overkill in an android (linux) system. The reason it could be harmful is because it's an app created by a third party that may be unstable. I think any benefit achieved by a task killing app would be negligible but don't quote me on that.

It isnt a memory issue for me, as i stated on the first page. It is much more of a battery consumption issue. If i leave a program like Twonky Server running while there is no need for it my battery will take the fast lane to 0%.

 

[MstrHnky]

i installed atk and run it after i use the stock music player. it always stays in the "running programs" list. i just kill everything running aside from my alarm clock. i've never had any problems whatsoever with it.

for me it easier to make two screen presses to get the job done rather than hitting the settings button, settings, applications, running services, and close one-by-one.