Hello All, is there anyone still here? )

I got a very nice phone some time ago, that says it has "finally proper multitasking"
It's my N9 with PR 1.3.

So where did the multitasking go?

Now seriously, my point is, I start an application - take the Compass, for example. When I push it aside and then switch to open applications view, it's there but it's standing still, not really working in the background. So as any other APP.

Take a brief look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfEEBkcTwDo

This guy among others started that Compass application and it works in background for him in the app view - but for my phone it's just standing still
Any ideas?

Go to settings of Compass and Enable the option "Run in background".

It is real multitasking. The OS does nothing to inhibit applications from running anything in the background. But most of developers, as a courtesy to our users, usually stop any non-critical functions from taking place when the application is backgrounded, to save battery life.
While it is a nice show-off feature to have, say the camera work in the background and show through the thumbnail you can't take a photo while on the switcher so it's better to have the camera hardware turn off while the camera app is in the background.

I thought about this extensively for ρcam. In the early development versions the camera wasn't turned off when the app is in the background, and that was cool. But taking into consideration the really quick camera startup of the N9 the following two usecases emerged:

If ρcam doesn't suspend the response tome after switching to it would be instant, but it would be consuming loads of battery in the background making the backgrounding operation useless except for very small interruptions (seconds at best) and thus forcing the user to close the app when not in use. The next time he will want to take a photo he will have to wait for the application to load again. Finally some users would get surprised finding their battery dead in a very short time.

If the camera suspends while in the background, just swiping away (or locking the screen for that matter) will ensure that the phone is in a power-friendly mode and in order to take a photo the user just needs to unlock or switch to it. The camera module of the N9 powers up almost instantly so for snapping around every now and then when on a trip this is a much quicker way, than having to launch the app each time.

I chose the second solution, and that is what most developers finally choose. This is still better than the limited multitasking of other platforms as it can be evaluated case-by-case, like above, instead of the OS forcing restrictions upon developers. If there is a point in being able to run in the background (video app comes to mind, so one can listen to music videos while doing something else) I'm sure the developer will consider it.

Finally we can run daemons who work in the background and enable functionality of many well known applications. This is not visible, but it enables functionality not permitted in other platforms.

The N900's multitasking is "more real" than the N9.
I don't have gripes with the N9 though.

define "more real"

I can even control my games through the multitasking view in N900.
Nothing freezes whatsoever.

In N9 manys apps freeze when you put them at the background. (the clock, one of many examples)

**it could be the way the apps are writen and not the OS itself. If so, then yes I am mistaken!

control?
you can observe, monitor, view (with a magnifier) but you can't "control" them, i.e. interact with them.

and yes, the fact that many apps freeze when switched to the background is a dev choice which allows to save battery.
even though games may not be developed with that in mind (always thought of it as ludicrous to install "games" on a mobile beyond Mah-jongg or minesweeper ) if memory serves well, the option to "freeze" an app when it goes in background is available on all Maamo devices.

many N9 apps go on running in the background (any command in a terminal window, web pages in browsers, music player and many more...)

you can control some apps from the multitasking view in Maemo5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLuYmaM6J-c

^ 1:25'' mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au1nFqxrUe8

^ 0:13'' mark

*second video is mine : )

I haven't tested, but I'm fairly sure that applications can still access the accelerometer when mimimized in Harmattan, just the same as in Fremantle. There is no difference in multitasking capability. User experience may be different, because suspending UI updates when minimized is more common in applications running on Harmattan, partly because detecting and responding to state changes is more convenient in QML property bindings, and partly because some Fremantle software is written for desktop machines.

truth is, opera does so. on the N9 I mean. rotates and everything.

But i don't like how clock , music and other apps appear frozen though. they are not frozen but their thumbnails are not live.

i love maemo5 for its more "dynamic" and live multitasking. you would expect the 1gb ram N9 doing the same.