jpfsn | # 431 | 2012-07-10, 21:59 | Report

@creip on twitter kindly translated an interview with Jussi Hurmola of Jolla earlier today. It is not a long article (link below), but an extract relating to apps is :

One of the problems facing the start-up is answering the competition over apps. Modern day smartphone platforms thrive on the apps they run, and the competition (Android, iOS, and even Symbian) have appstores filled to the brimm with apps. It is still uncertain, if apps made for Nokia's N9 device can be run on the to-be-announced range of MeeGo devices from Jolla.

According to Finnish magazine IT-Viikko, CEO of Jolla Mobile Jussi Hurmola promises that Jolla has "an interesting answer" to the challenge.
' It is evident that we must face up to this challenge. Our solution is so interesting, though that it is better left for revealing at the same time with our announcements.' Hurmola says cryptically. The CEO is reluctant to address confusion over whether apps from the MeeGo-Harmattan device N9 will work on Jolla's devices.

http://peakmob.blogspot.fi/2012/07/j...count.html?m=1

Setok | # 432 | 2012-07-10, 22:01 | Report

I don't know... I'd rather never close apps. In that respect iOS has got it quite right. Why should the user care if an app is open or not? We can debate about whether that is practical to realise or not, but, like memory management in coding, I'd rather not have to think about it.

Agree on the swipe UI in general. One of the most appealing things —*if not even the most appealing thing —*about the N9.

PS. There seems to be some bug in the forum and mdashes get some weird '*' after them upon display.

Fuzzillogic | # 433 | 2012-07-10, 22:17 | Report

Because when I'm done with an application I want to close it, so it starts fresh the next time. Also, the "multitasking" on iOS, WP and lesser extend Android annoys me greatly, as it is more "taskswitching" like we had in 1989. From both user and developer standpoint I really prefer the multitasking as is implemented on Maemo, MeeGo and Symbian - it leaves me in control.

I've never ran out of memory on the N9. And when I don't want to close an app, well... I simply swipe it aside.

Dave999 | # 434 | 2012-07-10, 22:24 | Report

I want a python dev phone. Why dont noone talking about python here?

Setok | # 435 | 2012-07-10, 22:41 | Report

This is not the thread for debating this, but I think you need to ask yourself why 'starts fresh' is important, in a general way, for most users, versus just doing things and not caring about that. We can agree to disagree for now

Btw. iOS's multitasking is way more than mere taskswitching. I think they made the right compromise there, making it easier to control how apps use resources. You don't tend to get those runaway situations that you get on the N9 where battery just wooshes out of existence.

Anyway, I hope Jolla does innovate on the UI and device. I love how the N9 approached that in a wild new way, and we definitely need more of that. Is that Palm guy still involved with Nokia or is he on board with Jolla?

Setok | # 436 | 2012-07-10, 22:41 | Report

Tcl is even cooler

MartinK | # 437 | 2012-07-10, 22:47 | Report

Well, actually:

Firminator | # 438 | 2012-07-10, 23:29 | Report

I hope Jolla teams up with some Japanese manufactuers as they have too suffered in this Smartphone war.

jotoco | # 439 | 2012-07-10, 23:37 | Report

Multi-tasking the way the n900, n9 and Symbian does is something I really use.

My use case:

1 - Open Browser;
2 - Open A page, while A page loads (because of slow internet), open B page;
3 - Open E-mail, while it downloads, go back to A page;
4 - Read A page, decide I want to listen to music;
5 - Open music player and put some music;
6 - Open emails, read some, returns to A page;
7 - Finish reading A page, opens C page and while it loads go to B page;
8 - Goes back to email, opens random attachment;
9 - Reads said attachment, goes to back to email;
10 - Closes email, goes to page B;
11 - Decide I want to take a walk, so Sports Tracker better be open, or open it now;
12 - On page B, finds random video on Youtube, open it;
13 - While said video loads, go to page C;
14 - goes on and on...

lma | # 440 | 2012-07-10, 23:46 | Report

Call me old fashioned, but I find the idea that there is some magic technology that somehow allows you to download and run random untrusted code on your computer and still avoid any risks and consequences absurd. If you give the bad guys access to your CPU they will find ways to bite you.

But how would you know if what it's trying to send is benign or not? What if it hides it in something innocent-looking like DNS queries? Or what if it simply stores your location information and sends it later in batches (without accessing the GPS first in order to not trigger the block)?

What about opening files for writing and writing garbage, or truncating them instead? Or perhaps renaming them to things that look like temporary files and then asking for permission to delete? Or moving them outside Documents (if that's not the root of the mount) first to avoid the watchdog? When the malicious code is already executing on your CPU there are far too many ways to do damage and it's too late to try to close the barn door.

I don't have any answers, but I can't help noticing that the only thing that's worked relatively well so far are Free Software repositories like Debian's or Fedora's that are well audited and set the bar for entry high. But I guess that sort of thing is incompatible with fart apps and the like.