Process Lasso v7.0 - User requests thread

[Jeremy Collake]

Process Lasso v7.0 is under development. What would *you* most like to see in this next major release?

[BenYeeHua]

This is not a priority order on the number, it is the order that which I think about it first.

Core
1.Gaming mode that really focus on gaming performance
Just for reduce the CPU time of GUI and/or Governor etc, and also the logging.

2.Dynamic Refresh interval of GUI and/or Governor for power save
Maybe it is just me or the better single thread performance CPU, but I found that most of the time, the Responsiveness line never drop below 100% before the process restraint by PL.
It can be the GUI having lower refresh interval while it is hidden into the Tray Icon, and also the Governor having much lower of the refresh interval, and only increase when it detect >50% processes CPU usage or restraint processes.
Or only increase the refresh interval while it is on Battery/DC.

3.Monitoring the Disk and/or SATA controller usage/active time of the Processes
I found that most people getting better CPU performance then the Hard Disk, and they always care about Disk usage/active time.
If Process Lasso support Disk usage, the Windows user that is not using Windows 8+ Task Manager will love to see this feature.

4.Support restraint of the Processes that monopolize the Disk/controller.
As about, and I found that most stutter is caused by the Hard disk is monopolized by some heavy read/write process, like game patch/validate.
If Process Lasso support restraint of I/O monopolize Processes, it will be a good feature too.

5.Better Responsiveness of Process Lasso/GUI while I/O is getting monopolized
I always found that Process Lasso GUI is laggy while opening it from Tray Icon, while I/O is monopolized by other processes.
Maybe stop trimming Process Lasso and Process Governor, and lock the pages in RAM should be enough?
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366895%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

6.Do Not Disturb/Quiet Hour mode that ensure the user don't disturb by Process Lasso
I am not sure when the Balloon feature will be coming back, but this function will be useful as well.
Like showing a static Process Lasso icon with a little clock icon on Tray Icon, don't Update PL which will jump a foreground window for update, so they will not be disturb when the specified process is running, like MS Word.
For Quiet Hour, it is a new feature from Windows 8.1, PL can read from the registry, and enable Do Not Disturb on that Quiet Hour/time.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/28530-quiet-hours-set-stop-app-notifications-windows-8-1-a.html

7.Try to capture all process that is nearly invisible by running within 1 second
I know it is a bug that hardly to fix, but it look like there are many process that only run like 100-500ms and just gone, and PL fail to log about it being run.

8.Support uploading the process executable to VirusTotal.
Just like Process Explorer
https://www.virustotal.com/en/documentation/public-api/

9.Support checking the sign of the Processes.
As about.


GUI
1.A new Skin Engine that support User Skin(or Letting user create the skin itself for Process Lasso)
As it is very hard to design a UI, why not just let the user design, and share about it.
It may have something support like colorkey and alpha which allow partially transparent skin, and also support Skin transparency, which might workaround that the PL window is always big and reducing multi-task while using PL, and see through it.

2.Better UID(User interface design) that letting the user much easier to find the function
Many user, including me can't find or remember where is the settings is under which submenu....
I wonder did create a Settings Window etc and showing what's the setting for while pointing on it like many other software/games does will be helpful.

3.Support searching of the settings
This may need the Settings Window, but by finding/listing the settings using a keyword should be helpful to find the function you need.

4.New Simplify UI that similar to "Fewer details" edition of Windows Task Manager
This may be achieve by having a skin engine too, but I think by creating a simple edition of PL GUI that only showing "Active Processes", allow to right clich and having a button/clickable word to switch between current advanced UI and simple UI is also not bad, before the skin engine is done.

5.Allow the customize of the UI and improve the status bar
I think Action Log can't be hide, right?
And also the status bar, we can't hide/customize which thing should be showing on there too.

6.Allow the customize of the Context Menu
The Context Menu is long and a bit too deep while right click a process, why not just allow customize of Context Menu like changing the group/submenu name, function name, and moving/copying the function whatever it can be.

7.More improved of Tray Icon
like Support of the digital on Tray Icon, showing the foreground/specified process CPU usage, how many threads/process are now

8.Support more function on the Context Menu of Action log
Like jump to disk, search the process name on internet, open the properties etc.

9.Support showing the CPU frequency on GUI.
Just you know, make it cool.

---
I guess my idea should be nearly dump out right now,so I better stop before other users start angry on me for "stealing" their idea.

And if you asking for my Top 3 most wanted function, I will choose
1.Improved of Gaming Mode
2.Support of restraint the I/O based on Process Disk activity
3.Support of Custom Skin.

As the skin is very difficult thing and we are not using the Process Lasso GUI most of the time, so I put it on the third one.

[Keefa]

Setting game mode to every game executable one by one is tedious and takes a *lot* of time. If possible, I'd love it if I could just point Process Lasso to my games folder and say "All of the .exe files there. Why not." It'd include some non-games (such as setup executables), but save a lot of time and effort. At least giving the user the choice would be very nice.

Right now I think it's possible to have the same .exe listed as a game several times. To avoid this, Process Lasso could either just disregard the user if s/he is attempting to make a duplicate entry or show an error message instead of quietly accepting it. Also, a purge button could be nice. If I uninstall tons of games but forget to take them out of the list, there's unnecessary bloat in the .ini file.

Other than that, the game optimizations BenYeeHua mentioned sound good to me. Anything to make my games run just a bit faster is always welcome.

[Jeremy Collake]

Setting game mode to every game executable one by one is tedious and takes a *lot* of time. If possible, I'd love it if I could just point Process Lasso to my games folder and say "All of the .exe files there. Why not." It'd include some non-games (such as setup executables), but save a lot of time and effort. At least giving the user the choice would be very nice.

Right now I think it's possible to have the same .exe listed as a game several times. To avoid this, Process Lasso could either just disregard the user if s/he is attempting to make a duplicate entry or show an error message instead of quietly accepting it. Also, a purge button could be nice. If I uninstall tons of games but forget to take them out of the list, there's unnecessary bloat in the .ini file.

Other than that, the game optimizations BenYeeHua mentioned sound good to me. Anything to make my games run just a bit faster is always welcome.

I didn't want to say this yet -- but a new product specifically targeted to games is coming. Lasso licensees will get a free lifetime license for this new product. Stay tuned.

I'll update on other suggestions after I get through this next minor release (which makes some important UI improvements).

[BenYeeHua]

Other than that, the game optimizations BenYeeHua mentioned sound good to me. Anything to make my games run just a bit faster is always welcome.

But, I means to reduce the CPU usage of Process Lasso to make sure it has nearly no effect/little effect on computer that only has 2 core or laptop CPU if the game is CPU bound.

[danlock]

I didn't want to say this yet -- but a new product specifically targeted to games is coming. Lasso licensees will get a free lifetime license for this new product. Stay tuned.

That sounds really GREAT! I'm very excited to read about that mentioned (but not technically officially announced *wink wink nudge nudge*) forthcoming product!

Jesse

I've been away from (active participation in) the forums for a while, as anyone here might--or might not--have noticed. At any rate, I'm no longer going to be complaining about issues on XP; I built a new PC and am now using Windows 8.1 because it supports many things I wanted that XP doesn't support and has even a few things supported that 7 doesn't. A developer (or a search of

msdn.microsoft.com or another MS site) would enumerate those changes better than I could. 8.1 OEM was on sale at the time, in addition, while 7 wasn't, and a few other things that I probably forgot.

The only thing XP supported that 8.1 doesn't is drivers for my aging scanner (for which there is likely a workaround involving temporarily disabling the checking for signed drivers). Never mind, though. I'm way off-topic and will probably seek input regarding a problem I have with the acknowledgement of my license by Process Lasso in another topic. (Then again, why waste screen space? Oh yeah: off topic is uncool.  )
[/list]

[natostanco]

if you say a product for gaming is coming anyway a feature i'd like is specific process restraint. If a process uses more than like 50% of a core, than make that core exclusive to that process  so that all the other processes running have the affinity disabled for that specific core, but the process in question should still be able to use all cores, he should just have exclusive access to 1 core. Useful for games with one big thread.

[BenYeeHua]

I've been away from (active participation in) the forums for a while, as anyone here might--or might not--have noticed. At any rate, I'm no longer going to be complaining about issues on XP; I built a new PC and am now using Windows 8.1 because it supports many things I wanted that XP doesn't support and has even a few things supported that 7 doesn't. A developer (or a search of

msdn.microsoft.com or another MS site) would enumerate those changes better than I could. 8.1 OEM was on sale at the time, in addition, while 7 wasn't, and a few other things that I probably forgot.

The only thing XP supported that 8.1 doesn't is drivers for my aging scanner (for which there is likely a workaround involving temporarily disabling the checking for signed drivers). Never mind, though. I'm way off-topic and will probably seek input regarding a problem I have with the acknowledgement of my license by Process Lasso in another topic. (Then again, why waste screen space? Oh yeah: off topic is uncool.  )
[/list]

Then you need to worry about Windows 8.1 issues.
----

if you say a product for gaming is coming anyway a feature i'd like is specific process restraint. If a process uses more than like 50% of a core, than make that core exclusive to that process  so that all the other processes running have the affinity disabled for that specific core, but the process in question should still be able to use all cores, he should just have exclusive access to 1 core. Useful for games with one big thread.

Hmm...
For this, I am not sure did you means that set the affinity for the process that restraint by Process Lasso, or the process that use more then 50% of a core.
This should not be useful, as foreground has higher priority than other process(and you can boost it too, by using Process Lasso), and the main thread will always give to difference core, by the Window scheduler.
So the Main thread will always not staying on the exclusive core, except you are the game dev, and you lock the affinity of the Main thread, which most game don't do this anymore.
You can also just use the restraint affinity and priority function to limit any background process that using too much CPU usage too.

I think by setting the priority to high or realtime(not recommend, as the game may still buggy and bit the CPU to 100%) should getting the similar function, which make sure the game process/threads will always run before the other processes.

[Jeremy Collake]

Thanks BenYeeHua, DanLock, natostanco, and others!

Your feedback and enthusiasm is much appreciated. I'm keeping my head down in programming mode. We'll have *output* soon, then continue work from there. I'll respond to specific requests in more depth as I am able.

[Saad]

in Process Lasso 6 when windows(8.1) wants shutdown, always shows that is trying to close PL then off. Please fix this. for example Kaspersky internet security is always running in background but never stop or delay windows shutingdown. Do you get my purpose?

[edkiefer]

I am on Win7 and have run into that on shutdown with some app "windows needs to force shutdown on xx app" but for me it not PL it ends up being other app, like Origin , Trillian IM , etc .
I do close as much as possible cause I think that adds to possibility of it happening .

[BenYeeHua]

Can it be Kaspersky blocking the Process Lasso to shutting down?
I am not sure did Kaspersky has some conflict with Process Lasso, but you may wanna check for it.

[Saad]

Can it be Kaspersky blocking the Process Lasso to shutting down?
I am not sure did Kaspersky has some conflict with Process Lasso, but you may wanna check for it.

i don't think. because in Kaspersky internet security 2015 all PL application are trusted.

Thanks guys.

[Jeremy Collake]

I am pretty sure I have seen this as well, it's non-critical, just a cosmetic issue.

Like I said, Windows isn't waiting on Lasso. But when it is waiting on *something*, you may see Lasso in the list of programs it is waiting on.

This does need some tuning. I will be working on it.

[BenYeeHua]

So Windows detect some programs need to be waiting, but somehow it is detecting only Process Lasso?

And, it also means that somehow Process Lasso need a longer time to shut down itself?

[Jeremy Collake]

It's mostly an issue of shut down order.

Lasso sets the core engine to shut down *last*.

Thus, whenever there is any delay in the shutdown process, you will see the core engine listed as one of the pending processes to shut down.

[BenYeeHua]

So it can be other software that causing slower shutdown.

[Jeremy Collake]

Yes, or the cumulative effect of a lot of running processes at the time of system shutdown.

Simply telling Windows to *not* wait to close Lasso last will 'resolve' this problem, which I'll do in future versions.

[BenYeeHua]

So I guess the user that facing this issues still need to find out which software is causing it(if the software is not showing on the list).

[DeadHead]

Minor request, that I've asked about before, but I'll try again!

Please add a clock to the bottom status bar - that's all!

[BenYeeHua]

Or you means CPU frequency.

[DeadHead]

Or you means CPU frequency.

That as well!

But ya, just the system clock, would like to have that in the status bar.

Also, how about support for core temp or similar?

[Jeremy Collake]

The status bar could use an overhaul.

Time of day, maybe.. I dunno though, I'm trying to envision it being popular. Most people have the system clock readily displayed on the taskbar. I hate to waste any status bar real-estate, but then again, it doesn't take much.

Core/CPU temp, maybe.. probably not for a while though, there are several things in the development queue before temperature support, which require a bit of work.

Definitely you guys will like what Bitsum has coming here in Q4 2014.

[edkiefer]

FWIW , I still got the black screen with message PL must be forced to shutdown (not sure if that is exact wording ) with PL ver 7.0 .
It only displays for split second , but it still there randomly .

That is with only Openhardware and PL running , before shutdown , I close browser or other app that might be running .

[BenYeeHua]

The status bar could use an overhaul.

Time of day, maybe.. I dunno though, I'm trying to envision it being popular. Most people have the system clock readily displayed on the taskbar. I hate to waste any status bar real-estate, but then again, it doesn't take much.

Core/CPU temp, maybe.. probably not for a while though, there are several things in the development queue before temperature support, which require a bit of work.

Definitely you guys will like what Bitsum has coming here in Q4 2014.

Maybe allow the user to disable/enable it?
For example, my screen is too short, and it need full screen to see the System uptime, so I can disable the other or it to save CPU usage as well.

For temp...This is hard, as I know it need low level access?
----
Hmm, so I guess the issues that the other is "blocking" Process Lasso to shut down is still there.

[DeadHead]

Time of day, maybe.. I dunno though, I'm trying to envision it being popular. Most people have the system clock readily displayed on the taskbar.

I understand. My reason for wanting it is in the following scenario:

Fullscreen game running on monitor 1, PL running on monitor 2 (sometimes curious to see what's going on with processes while gaming).

It's a minor request though, and not at all important, just a *small* QOL improvement for me, and perhaps someone else

[BenYeeHua]

Hey, why not asking for adding it to the gaming version of Process Lasso.

[Jeremy Collake]

FWIW , I still got the black screen with message PL must be forced to shutdown (not sure if that is exact wording ) with PL ver 7.0 .
It only displays for split second , but it still there randomly .

That is with only Openhardware and PL running , before shutdown , I close browser or other app that might be running .

Yea, this is something I did not yet address. It's a simple tweak, but I wanted to spend more time playing around with it and didn't want to take any chances with 7.0. I'll fix it it in a subsequent beta.