Apple skimped on the RAM

[kdarling]

One thing though. - if Atomic can put out such a full featured browser, why can't Mozilla put out Firefox? Didn't they say Apple rejected them for "duplicating core functionality" or something?

It's because Atomic is simply another UI shell around the stock Safari browser. (It's just Safari with different menus and some extra code.)

For security and probably business reasons, Apple won't allow any other browsers that can interpret Javascript on the fly.

 

[tmarks11]

You are getting page reloads due to the shortcomings of the iOS safari browser, not due to lack of memory.

That latest iOS upgrade has made safari work better on the iPad1. Previously, having 3 tabs open would generate page reloads when swapping tabs. Now I can get 5 or 6. So it sounds exactly like iPad2!

EDIT: just checked. 5 tabs = no page reloads. Add a tab and I get reloads when swapping tabs. I have also noticed that the more programs "running" in the backgroun, the fewer tabs remain in memory.

Why is It that I can have 7 tabs open in Atomic and not get reloads? Apple needs to get schooled by a $0.99 app programmer!

So far, I haven't heard of a good reason to upgrade. Hopefully, someone will generate some killer games that won't run on the sloweripad2, and I will have a good excuse to splurge and upgrade.

 

[nutmac]

You are getting page reloads due to the shortcomings of the iOS safari browser, not due to lack of memory.

That latest iOS upgrade has made safari work better on the iPad1. Previously, having 3 tabs open would generate page reloads when swapping tabs. Now I can get 5 or 6. So it sounds exactly like iPad2!

Actually, it's both. Unlike most browsers, Safari mobile uses RAM for page cache. I am just guessing here, but Apple probably did this to prevent flash storage wear (each block is rated for somewhere in the north of 10,000 write cycles).

Using other browsers that caches to flash storage can decrease flash storage's lifecycle.

 

[GoKyu]

It's because Atomic is simply another UI shell around the stock Safari browser. (It's just Safari with different menus and some extra code.)

For security and probably business reasons, Apple won't allow any other browsers that can interpret Javascript on the fly.

Thanks for the info, didn't know that.

 

[Skika]

Swap?

Why can't iOS use swap, like osx? I would gladly put 512mb of flash storage for that purpose.

 

[Jake55111]

Then you should move. Problem solved.

Or, you know, just take it as it is, or return it for something you like better like the Xoom. Then you can go to the Xoom forums and complain about it there to people who care.

I wasn't complaining, just stating a fact, my iPad 2 runs fine.

 

[rkahl]

Then you should move. Problem solved.

Or, you know, just take it as it is, or return it for something you like better like the Xoom. Then you can go to the Xoom forums and complain about it there to people who care.

I just pi$$Ed myself reading this.

 

[blackNBUK]

Why can't iOS use swap, like osx? I would gladly put 512mb of flash storage for that purpose.

The problem is that flash memory has a limited number of times it can be written to. Currently iOS writes to flash memory quite rarely; however if it started using swap then the number of writes would go up hugely. This problem is made worse by the fact that iPads will often have relatively little free space available, so all of the writes end up going to a small area of the flash drive. Some people might accept the risk that their flash might malfunction but Apple obviously has to be cautious about this.

In addition to this swap space isn't necessarily the best way of dealing with having a finite amount of RAM. In some ways swap space is a rather brute force approach to the problem. An application running on Windows or OSX can grab almost as much memory as it wants, keep it for as long as it wants and leave it up to the OS to sort everything out. If the user of the computer doesn't keep things under control this can lead to long, unexplained pauses while the OS switches everything around. In comparison iOS expects Apps running on it to help out with managing memory usage by reducing memory usage when instructed. In theory this means that less disk bandwidth would be needed than with a swap space system.

In practice Apple and other iOS developers are still working out exactly how everything should work. I think Safari is an example of this; in a bit of testing I did iOS seems to be reluctant to reclaim memory from other Apps so that Safari can store web pages. Instead it appears to prefer to reload them from the original source. This is the reason why after a reboot Safari can store loads of pages with no reloads but after a bit of use it can only store a few.

 

[EthanNixon]

Therefore nobody should be able to quickly and conveniently use more than the number of tabs that you do? I know... let's redefine everyone's computing experience according to what you think is appropriate.

That would be why I said "I", and not "people". If that is what I thought, I would have clearly said there is no point for anyone to ever have more than three tabs open. Instead, I said I have never come across a situation that needed more than three tabs open.

I know reading is hard on the iPad, all that anti-aliasing, you know they are holding back on the screen too. Maybe iPad 6.

 

[JimKirk]

That's funny because my xoom hardly ever refreshes

I usually have at least 5 tabs open.

And multitasking with no reloads.

I'm sure some is dependent on web sites visited.

I am mostly on CNN.com macrumors engadget gizmodo and bloomberg.

With those I rarely get page loads even with flash sites like CNN.

Also scrolling does not seem laggy to me. Just different.