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Fraser Speirs - Blog - Misconceptions About iOS Multitasking
Let me wrap this up by giving you a quick summary:
- If someone tells you that all the apps in the multitasking bar are running, using up memory or sucking power, they are wrong.
- When you hit the home button, an app moves from Active to Background and quickly to the Suspended state where it no longer uses CPU time or drains power.
- An app may request an additional 10 minutes of Background running to complete a big task before becoming Suspended.
- If memory is becoming scarce, iOS will automatically move Suspended apps into the Not Running state and reclaim their memory.
- Five classes of apps - audio, GPS, VOIP, Newsstand and accessory apps - and some built-in apps such as Mail may run indefinitely in the background until they complete their task.
Great post explaining iOS background processing and why you don't need to go around removing apps from the multitasking bar.
CFEngine posts moving to cf-learn.info
cf-cmd: A command-line tool for running CFEngine snippets
After building the typical "test bundle" scaffolding in an editor for the hundredth time, I decided to do something about it. The result is the cf-cmd command.
A little useful script I wrote for making it easier to test CFEngine code snippets. Follow the link to see the full details.
15 Years Ago Today
15 Years Ago Today Apple acquired NeXT. Not a bad move.
Not a bad move indeed. I loved NeXT computers and NEXTSTEP, and I'm happy every time I see its legacy on my Mac.
New website for "Learning CFEngine 3"
I'm happy to announce that the website for my book is now live at http://cf-learn.info/.
In this website you will find:- General information about the book.
- A discussion forum for any type of questions, feedback or suggestions about the book.
- Downloadable code examples from the book, plus (over time) many other new examples.
- List of Errata, and access to the Errata system at O'Reilly
- A blog devoted to the book and to CFEngine.
The site is fairly empty at the moment (the blog, the forum and the errata page are live, I encourage you to participate, particularly if you have purchased the Early Release version of the book and want to provide any sort of feedback), but content will grow over time.

"Learning CFEngine 3" Early Release now available -use AUTHD to get 40-50% off
My upcoming book "Learning CFEngine 3" is now available as an Early Release, which includes (for now) the first four chapters of the book. You can use the code AUTHD to get 40% off the print book, or 50% off the ebook version.
Go get yours! And of course, I'd be happy to receive any feedback you have.