LDS Library


carlimac
 Share

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, carlimac said:

Is the app not working on anyone elses phone? I can't get it to come up in the app store either.

First, I'm assuming you're talking about Gospel Library, not LDS Tools.  If I'm wrong, please correct me.  (There is no "LDS Library".)

If you're on Android, and your version is older than 5.0, there's a chance it won't work.  IMO, if you have a working version, leave it alone and disable automatic upgrades!  If your version doesn't work at all, then you have nothing to lose, so go to your device's app store and see if there's an upgraded version available.

I have found that Gospel Library 4.x and older will no longer download the scriptures (if you already have the scriptures, you can continue to read them, but if you don't have them, you can't download them).  They have changed the actual content format and it's not compatible with versions older than 5.x.  (This is all deduction based on the pains experienced with 3 Android devices each with a different version of Android.)

The current version is 5.x and the original would not work well on older versions of Android (and could be buggy even on current-ish versions).  They released a patch (I think 5.0.2) and that seems to work better.  The current version is 5.0.3.

If you upgrade from 4.x to 5.x you have to re-download any and all content (hooray - this is because they changed the format of the content), and on anything before 5.0.2, that's slower than imaginable.  Even on later versions of 5, it's not as good as it was.

Dunno if that helps any, but it's what I got.  If you're on Apple, I'd still suggest you look in the app store for updates.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My tablet seemed to upgrade automatically (don't like how it looks now) and then gospel library seemed to update all on it's own recently as well.  Since I normally use the tablet in church, it was in the middle of a meeting when it decided to go inoperable for a few minutes while it did the gospel library update.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, JohnsonJones said:

My tablet seemed to upgrade automatically (don't like how it looks now) and then gospel library seemed to update all on it's own recently as well.  Since I normally use the tablet in church, it was in the middle of a meeting when it decided to go inoperable for a few minutes while it did the gospel library update.

Isn't that annoying?!?!

I'm trying to remember to use that app early Sunday morning so it does the update before I even go to Church.  Then I don't have to wait for it to update when I'm trying to find the scripture in class.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Supposedly, that was one of the changes with 5.0 - it would not download updates on Sunday.  If you triggered download of content you didn't already have, it would get that, but it won't pull content updates on Sunday anymore - or so they claim.

(There were lots of complaints about people in Sunday School going to the OT only to find it delayed while 1800 downloads were retrieved. :rolleyes: )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, mikbone said:

I just want to thank the church for making a great smart phone app for us.

It is one of the best apps I have.  Well designed.  It works.  Updated frequently.  Free.  Video.  Hyperlinks rock.

I gotta say.  The church is true.

The Church is true, but version 3.x of the app was truer than the later versions of the app.  Whether the app will ever return to its truer state remains to be seen.  Meanwhile, the LDS Tools team has done nothing but improve their app.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Carborendum said:

Turned off and turned back on?

There is valid reason for this to work, if the "off" either shuts off power or triggers an operating-system-level reset of memory.  Applications, regardless of the platform, sometimes leak memory (which means they put something in a specific memory space, or allocate the space but don't use it, and then never release the space when they're done with it).  They also sometimes "trip flags" - settings which may indicate an error or state which prevents normal function.  Disconnecting power from the RAM (memory chips) will free up space, thereby speeding up apps or enabling them to work properly, and will generally reset any flags to their default state.  My personal computer is powered off every night, except Friday and Saturday.  My phone is power-cycled at least weekly.

(I expect you probably know these things, but many folk don't and therefore think the "reboot" (or better, power cycle) instruction is a stalling tactic or evidence of ignorance or indifference, but it's valid - regardless of whether you have the ability to find the memory leak or other problem (which end users clearly don't) and fix it.)

And now one of my favorite Dilbert cartoons:

7c8fbcc0b0e8012f2fef00163e41dd5b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, zil said:

There is valid reason for this to work, if the "off" either shuts off power or triggers an operating-system-level reset of memory.  Applications, regardless of the platform, sometimes leak memory (which means they put something in a specific memory space, or allocate the space but don't use it, and then never release the space when they're done with it).  They also sometimes "trip flags" - settings which may indicate an error or state which prevents normal function.  Disconnecting power from the RAM (memory chips) will free up space, thereby speeding up apps or enabling them to work properly, and will generally reset any flags to their default state.  My personal computer is powered off every night, except Friday and Saturday.  My phone is power-cycled at least weekly.

(I expect you probably know these things, but many folk don't and therefore think the "reboot" (or better, power cycle) instruction is a stalling tactic or evidence of ignorance or indifference, but it's valid - regardless of whether you have the ability to find the memory leak or other problem (which end users clearly don't) and fix it.)

And now one of my favorite Dilbert cartoons:

7c8fbcc0b0e8012f2fef00163e41dd5b

Isn't it true that Windows 8 and 10 don't necessarily release the RAM when shutting off?  And Android as well?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Isn't it true that Windows 8 and 10 don't necessarily release the RAM when shutting off?  And Android as well?

That depends on what you mean by "shutting off" - if you mean turning off the screen by pressing the power button briefly, then, that's not actually shutting it off - it's just turning off the monitor / screen and possibly putting it into "power save" mode.  To shut off an Android device or Windows tablet (or any phone, or tablet, as far as I know), you generally hold the power button down until you're prompted to either power off or restart.  The restart option is akin to a reboot (and I would only use this if software insisted it needed a reboot); the power off option should cut power to the RAM and reset any flags (this is the option I always choose).  Also, as I assume you know, electricity doesn't instantly stop.  The source may stop "sending", but electronics can have residual electricity in them which must dissipate.  Hence, the old instruction to wait until the device is fully powered off, then wait 30 seconds, and only then turn it back on.

My computers, when powered off, stay off over night (unless I'm power-cycling due to a problem).  My phone generally stays off for a few minutes before I fire it up again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, zil said:

That depends on what you mean by "shutting off" - if you mean turning off the screen by pressing the power button briefly, then, that's not actually shutting it off - it's just turning off the monitor / screen and possibly putting it into "power save" mode.  To shut off an Android device or Windows tablet (or any phone, or tablet, as far as I know), you generally hold the power button down until you're prompted to either power off or restart.  The restart option is akin to a reboot (and I would only use this if software insisted it needed a reboot); the power off option should cut power to the RAM and reset any flags (this is the option I always choose).  Also, as I assume you know, electricity doesn't instantly stop.  The source may stop "sending", but electronics can have residual electricity in them which must dissipate.  Hence, the old instruction to wait until the device is fully powered off, then wait 30 seconds, and only then turn it back on.

My computers, when powered off, stay off over night (unless I'm power-cycling due to a problem).  My phone generally stays off for a few minutes before I fire it up again.

I'll use the most extreme example of what I've experienced so it is as clear as possible.

I've shut down the computer.  Did not use it for a couple of days.  When I turn it back on, the excel spreadsheet I had open prior to shutting down is back up exactly as I saw it before.

I've shut down my phone (complete power shut off).  I plug it into the charger overnight.  When I turn it on in the morning, most of the apps are still running in the background.  I actually have to go into the apps list and specifically shut down every single app that I don't want taking up my RAM.  I'm talking about apps like VLC player, my audio book app, Amazon, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

When I turn it back on, the excel spreadsheet I had open prior to shutting down is back up exactly as I saw it before.

There are some Windows (or perhaps application) settings which allow you to tell it you want to remember and restore the state it was in when you shut down.  This doesn't mean things were left in RAM or running, but rather than the state was stored to HDD (or flash memory) and restored after starting up.  I forget where this is saved / set, and it may vary by app.  Also, it's possible it's automatic if you still have the app open when you shut down Windows - NOTE: I think this is insane and would never do either, but whatever.

10 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

When I turn it on in the morning, most of the apps are still running in the background.

Many phone apps just automatically start up and run in the background and it requires extreme effort to change that behavior - if it's even possible.  Further, that screen which shows thumbnails (nearly the size of the phone screen, but not quite) and lets you rotate through them to pick one isn't a list of open apps, it's a list of recently-used apps / screens within apps.  You have to go into settings > app manager to see what's actually running.  The settings of individual apps may let you set whether it stays running in the background or exits.  Also, how you exit matters - if you just hit the home button, the app stays running; if you use the back button (Android button, not app button) to back out through all the screens1, it may or may not exit.  There are widgets that will show you running apps in Android.

Phones are kind of a lost cause when it comes to controlling memory and battery use - they all want to be running all the time so they're "fast" because no one has 750 nanoseconds of patience, and they all want to be doing stuff in the background (spying so they can customize their ads / suggestions, or searching for reasons to push notifications).  It's basically contrary to their modern design for apps to truly shut down.

1One of my peeves regarding the Gospel Library app - in 3.x you used to be able to go to the home screen, press the back button, and it would exit the app.  Now the back button works just like a browser back button, moving you back through all the screens and only if you move all the way back through all of them, thereby making the "Screens" option useless, will it exit the app.  In 4.x you could use a developer feature in Android to cause the app to close when you exited with the home button, but the 5.x version of Gospel Library destroyed that functionality. :(  (Seriously, they've really ticked me off starting with 4.x.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, zil said:

There are some Windows (or perhaps application) settings which allow you to tell it you want to remember and restore the state it was in when you shut down.  This doesn't mean things were left in RAM or running, but rather than the state was stored to HDD (or flash memory) and restored after starting up.  I forget where this is saved / set, and it may vary by app.  Also, it's possible it's automatic if you still have the app open when you shut down Windows - NOTE: I think this is insane and would never do either, but whatever.

Actually, I had saved and closed the spreadsheet.  I had shut off Excel.  But for some reason, it opens up automatically to my last spreadsheet automatically by simply logging in.  Not only that.  But I noticed that it never actually logs me off by simply shutting down.  I have to actually log off, then shut down from the login screen.  My children have another login on the same computer.  When they go to shut down, it gives them a warning "other people are still logged in.  Shutting down may cause them to lose data."  I inform them that I had shut down all my apps and shut down the computer properly.  I have no idea why it keeps me logged in.

BTW, I have Windows 10 Professional, if that makes a difference.  I notice that it does not happen on my Windows 10 home edition.

1 minute ago, zil said:

Many phone apps just automatically start up and run in the background and it requires extreme effort to change that behavior - if it's even possible.  Further, that screen which shows thumbnails (nearly the size of the phone screen, but not quite) and lets you rotate through them to pick one isn't a list of open apps, it's a list of recently-used apps / screens within apps.  You have to go into settings > app manager to see what's actually running.  The settings of individual apps may let you set whether it stays running in the background or exits.  Also, how you exit matters - if you just hit the home button, the app stays running; if you use the back button (Android button, not app button) to back out through all the screens1, it may or may not exit.  There are widgets that will show you running apps in Android.

My screen is apparently different than yours.  I have to manually create the screens of what I deem the most use apps.  I have not "recently used apps" screen.  

These screens of most used apps are icons only.  They are not running.  They do not run simply by starting the OS.  But many of the apps don't truly shut down when I close the app.  They keep running in the background.  But if I close it, then go to the apps controls, then go through the list and manually shut off the app, then turn off the phone -- only after all that, the app does not run in the background until I activate it again.

I had to eventually get rid of VLC because if I ever ran it, it reserved the audio controls of my phone to the point that my alarm was not going off in the morning.  That made me and the kids late for seminary and work on more than one occasion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Carborendum said:

But for some reason, it opens up automatically to my last spreadsheet automatically by simply logging in.

OK, this sounds like Windows perceives a problem and is restoring to a "last known good" state.  I think I would run diagnostics.

NOTE: There's also a chance that there's some Excel setting that says to automatically return to the last-used spreadsheet on boot up.  But this seems unlikely to be the issue given all the rest of what you describe.

NOTE 2: I don't have Windows 10.  Don't like Windows 10.  Am determined to stay with Windows 7 for as long as I can keep my little Alien alive. :)

NOTE 3: MS do appear to be trying to merge their Windows desktop, tablet, phone OSs into a single OS, so Windows 10 likely has some phone-like behavior.

4 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I have not "recently used apps" screen.  

You probably do (it's not labeled) and just don't realize it.  It's generally accessed by pressing (or pressing and holding) the hardware / android button left of the home button (if any).

5 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

These screens of most used apps are icons only.  They are not running.  They do not run simply by starting the OS.  But many of the apps don't truly shut down when I close the app.  They keep running in the background.  But if I close it, then go to the apps controls, then go through the list and manually shut off the app, then turn off the phone -- only after all that, the app does not run in the background until I activate it again.

Yeah, this is pretty typical.  It's the way they're designed - the makers don't want you in control, that doesn't make them (enough) money.  Be glad it's not iOS - you have less control there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, zil said:

OK, this sounds like Windows perceives a problem and is restoring to a "last known good" state.  I think I would run diagnostics.

It's never given me any kind of error message to that effect.  But what diagnostic would you recommend?

2 minutes ago, zil said:

NOTE: There's also a chance that there's some Excel setting that says to automatically return to the last-used spreadsheet on boot up.  But this seems unlikely to be the issue given all the rest of what you describe.

I've installed this same edition of MS Office on five computers.  None of the Windows 7 have this problem. Only the Windows 10.

2 minutes ago, zil said:

NOTE 2: I don't have Windows 10.  Don't like Windows 10.  Am determined to stay with Windows 7 for as long as I can keep my little Alien alive. :)

I've got two Windows 7 and one Windows XP computer.  Hah!  Beat you on the dinosaur department.;)

2 minutes ago, zil said:

NOTE 3: MS do appear to be trying to merge their Windows desktop, tablet, phone OSs into a single OS, so Windows 10 likely has some phone-like behavior.

Yes, that was quite obvious the first time I opened up a Windows 8 computer.

2 minutes ago, zil said:

You probably do (it's not labeled) and just don't realize it.  It's generally accessed by pressing (or pressing and holding) the hardware / android button left of the home button (if any).

Nope.  No home button.  No recent apps. The only way to get a list of enabled apps is to go to Settings -> Apps -> (click an app) -> Force Stop -> warning "If you force stop an app, it may misbhave." -> OK -> live in peace.

2 minutes ago, zil said:

Yeah, this is pretty typical.  It's the way they're designed - the makers don't want you in control, that doesn't make them (enough) money.  Be glad it's not iOS - you have less control there.

I have noticed some of these things on my wife's Samsung. But not on my Motorola.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

It's never given me any kind of error message to that effect.  But what diagnostic would you recommend?

Well, not having Windows 10, I'm not sure what's built in.  Right click on the hard drive in Windows Explorer, choose "Properties..." and see if there's a "Tools" option in the dialog.  If so, see if there's an error checking option.  You'll want all files / apps closed and all users except one logged out.

53 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I've installed this same edition of MS Office on five computers.  None of the Windows 7 have this problem. Only the Windows 10.

Well, that's pretty definitive (though I wouldn't be surprised if MS apps have different options depending on the OS).  If I had Windows 10, I'd go poking around for settings (sometimes MS hide them well, sometimes they're in logical places).  Since I don't, the best I can offer is google. :(

58 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I've got two Windows 7 and one Windows XP computer.  Hah!  Beat you on the dinosaur department.;)

Um, I have 2 XP boxes (laptop and desktop) and one Windows 7.  Take that!  (The two XP boxes haven't been powered up in quite a while.)

59 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

Nope.  No home button.  No recent apps. The only way to get a list of enabled apps is to go to Settings -> Apps -> (click an app) -> Force Stop -> warning "If you force stop an app, it may misbhave." -> OK -> live in peace.

Huh.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, zil said:

Um, I have 2 XP boxes (laptop and desktop) and one Windows 7.  Take that!  (The two XP boxes haven't been powered up in quite a while.)

Oh, yeah!?  Well, I'll raise you  an Atari and an Intellivision console.!

 

Just kidding. I never owned an Atari. And I threw away the old intellivision set before I went to college.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Carborendum said:

Oh, yeah!?  Well, I'll raise you  an Atari and an Intellivision console.!

Just kidding. I never owned an Atari. And I threw away the old intellivision set before I went to college.

I have a dot matrix printer down in the basement.  (I'll sell it to you for cheap.)

.

.

.

And if that technology isn't old enough for you, I have a ca. 1993 fountain pen right here. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not technologically knowledgeable AT ALL.  I do have a Windows 10 machine now at the university (fought tooth and nail not to have to upgrade, but they were insistent.  I still use Windows 7 at home).

From what I've been told, Windows 10 does not necessarily shut down when you shut down.  It goes into a hibernation like state instead.  This makes it so that when you hit power it can boot up a LOT faster than the older windows did.  I'm not positive of how to actually turn it off.  Things like holding down the power button to actually removing any power sources to the machine have been answers that I've gotten.  I think that if you totally remove any power source that it actually shuts it off completely though.

On how many computers we have at home?

Hmmm...they are mostly in storage.  I think the oldest we have currently would be an old Tandy 1000 we have somewhere.  We also have one of those old Macintosh computers which were around in the late 80s and early 90s (in the garage most likely).  We then have at least two or three Windows 98 and Windows XP machines (also in the garage).  Yes...my garage probably needs to be cleaned out at some point. 

However, for computers NOT in storage that I actually use, you all seem to have me beat.  My kids and grandkids all have laptops and computers they bring around though (or sometimes rogue this one.  I have a grandson right now sitting beside me begging me to use this computer as if the consoles that we have were not enough to keep them occupied).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By default they do hibernate isntead of shutdown. There's an option to disable it, quick boot I think it's called? I believe you can choose restart and get a full cold boot though if you just want to clear some cobwebs out of ram.

Edited by jerome1232
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share