Background Tab Rendering
Keep background shells running without treating every tab as the visible one.
Availability
Implemented in the stable source; configuration and compatibility limits are described below.
Reviewed against stable v0.5.1. Rust candidate additions are labeled separately. Release status.
The pain this solves
- Inactive tabs need not receive the same view-rendering attention as the selected tab.
- Suspending a view must not be confused with stopping its processes.
What ships with it
- Stable source includes tab render-suspension lifecycle policy.
- Shells and terminal output continue while a tab is inactive.
- Selection and activity affect tab lifecycle.
- No zero-resource or instant-resume guarantee is established.
Questions this answers
- Do commands keep running in inactive tabs?
- Does Chau7 reduce rendering for background tabs?
- Does suspension guarantee zero CPU use?
How it works
The stable app has a render-suspension policy for terminal tabs and updates lifecycle state based on selection and activity. This concerns view and rendering work, not the shell process itself.
Shells, child processes, and terminal output continue while a tab is not selected. When the tab becomes active again, its terminal view returns to the foreground lifecycle and displays current state.
Suspension can reduce unnecessary work, but the source does not establish zero CPU or GPU use, zero contention, or instant-resume latency. Resource use varies with processes, output, renderer state, and machine.
Why it matters
Inactive terminal views need not receive the same rendering attention as the selected view. Chau7 has lifecycle controls for inactive tabs while leaving their shell work running.
Frequently asked questions
Do commands keep running in a suspended tab?
Yes. The policy applies to terminal view rendering; it does not stop the shell or child processes.
Do inactive tabs use zero CPU or GPU?
No such guarantee is supported. The lifecycle policy reduces or suspends some rendering work while other app and process work may continue.
Is switching back guaranteed to be instant?
No fixed resume time is claimed. The view returns to its active lifecycle when selected.