Livepatching With Linux 5.1 To Support Atomic Replace & Cumulative Patches

[Guest]

Think about non-technical office workers who have to shut down at the end of the day. If they have multiple documents, e-mails, browsers, etc. open and to restart their job the next day they have to remember what they had open, reopen it, and then find where they left off. That's a chunk of time spent each day that has no value add to their use-cases, but is currently needed solely for maintenance of their equipment.

Session persistence is the key here. In case of web browsers, it's normally built in, and in the case of pretty much any productivity software it can be implemented, ranging from being easy (keeping a list of open files and providing a way to open them later, fancier implementations can keep scroll positions and whatever else that might be of use). Keeping open windows and programs can be handled on the level of the desktop environment. I don't remember, but I think the whole timeline thing Microsoft has added in Windows 10 provides at least a rudimentary implementation of a similar idea, I think even with a way to move sessions across devices).

If I recall correctly, Windows NT 4 re-opened windows on login by default, so we're not talking about anything innovative here.

[oiaohm]

This isn't Windows, this issue was solved long ago with so-called "session save and restore".

Those don't restore complex workflows. Jackaudio workflows where you have had to start every part with it settings in exactly the right order.

[starshipeleven]

Those don't restore complex workflows. Jackaudio workflows where you have had to start every part with it settings in exactly the right order.

Lack of application support for session restore is an application issue though.

[bogdanbiv]

Lack of application support for session restore is an application issue though.

There will always be applications that miss upon features, but users should not be expected to know or care if this or that app supports session save/restore (thou they will discover soon enough).

On the general discussion:
Less knowledgeable people might not know OSes need reboot / update, it's just a hindrance for them. I see a good point in helping these people receive updates (esp security) and we should not look down upon their disinterest in how computers work. Best analogy I can find: It's as if they park the car in front of the house, leaving the engine running and with the keys in contact (on the premise that they will come back soonish). It seems bad on many levels, yet, we should support them as best we can (but no better :-)).

[starshipeleven]

There will always be applications that miss upon features, but users should not be expected to know or care if this or that app supports session save/restore.

Which is why modern consumer-oriented OSes like Android/iOS take this functinality at the OS level, so that apps can be resumed from the last point you left them even after reboot.

The issue is that things like sleep or hybernation exist at all when the true answer should have been a true OS-level session restore regardless of application settings.

Less knowledgeable people might not know OSes need reboot / update, it's just a hindrance for them

Yeah it's a hindrance only for them, because I love rebooting.
That's too bad for the "less knowledgeable", but if you want to use a tool and you don't want to always be in need of a babysitter for your stuff you need to know its basic maintenance too.

Like doing backups, running updates and rebooting after you did it (which is still necessary for a ton of system components too, not just the kernel). Does not mean you have to interrupt your activities to do that, but that you should integrate these periodic "rites" in your own life just as you sometimes wash yourself, your clothes or clean the house.