PC Mag Likes this Task Killer...

[jefboyardee]

...if killers are so bad, why does PC Mag love this one?

10 Must-Have Android Apps You Need Now

1. Advanced Task Killer, Free
Android does its own task management, but as someone who is still using Android 2.1, I can tell you it needs a little help. Maybe this will be better when the "Froyo" 2.2 update rolls out, but for now I recommend downloading Advanced Task Killer to maximize your battery life and performance. If the phone starts to feel sluggish, or the battery life is dropping like a rock, open up ATK and it will stop any apps you aren't using. There will be lot of them and it should help.

 

[ironass]

I think that the important caveat there is that it's being used on pre FroYo (2.1) firmware.

Since 2.2 there really has been no reason to use a Task Killer.

Even the author of the article appreciates that.

 

[lunatic59]

Because technically they've covered their backsides by recommending it for pre 2.2 phones as ironass has pointed out. It reads like an old article that they've recycled because they are lazy. "Maybe this will be better when the "Froyo" 2.2 update rolls out, but for now..."

FroYo was released over a year ago and is now itself a version behind as Gingerbread is rolling out. The futility of using a Task Killer with FroYo has been discussed ad nauseum. They should know better, unless the developers for ATK are greasing PC Mag's palms.

I get it. Using a task killer is an empowering principle. It makes a person feel like they are truly in control of their device, and while most people's experience is coming from desktop computers where the memory paradigm is managed differently, it seems logical. Unfortunately, these types of articles are pandering to the uninformed. Once you understand how Android's memory management works, you will see the need for a task killer has all but evaporated.

There are instances where apps have to be stopped, but Android has that functionality built right in. The only reason I can see for a task killer would be the convenience of killing poorly coded apps that users insist on continuing using. However, to automate any killing process is futile and potentially dangerous.

 

[UncleMike]

Strange... the date at the top of the article is July 7, 2011, but the comments are 6 months old. Not only are they too lazy to write new articles, they're even too lazy to post old articles as new - they just change the date at the top.

It's sad really. I used to buy AND SAVE PC Magazine in the '90s. Now I can't be bothered to click on a link to their articles, except for verifying their stupidity.

 

[jefboyardee]

Thanks all, you’ve taught me that not only are killers pointless, so is PC Mag lately. So what is the current online mag that covers this stuff accurately?

 

[amlothi]

Suggest you don't leave this forum The most accurate advice I've ever gotten, and most everything I've learned (other than learning on my own by fiddling) has come from this community.

The vast majority of technology blogs / reporting / news are worthless, boring, obvious, stupid, or simply fail to understand how technology actually works.