{
  "id": 3995682,
  "title": "I tried the sequel to Task Manager and it has too many special effects",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/i-tried-the-sequel-to-task-manager-and-it-has-too-many-special-effects",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-28T16:30:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PC Gamer",
    "slug": "pc-gamer",
    "url": "https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/i-tried-the-sequel-to-task-manager-and-it-has-too-many-special-effects/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 1995, the original Task Manager first appeared, and now, 31 years later, its creator Dave Plummer has released a sequel named Task Manager OG. Task Manager OG is available on Windows, Linux, and Mac. Plummer wrote a 107-page specification, fed it to an AI program, and then added some of his personal touch while his son was recovering from surgery. After the surgery, Plummer had time to polish the application.\n\nTask Manager OG features animated graphics at 60 Hz, data such as mouse tracking, and a summary page. It is also visually striking, with default neon and high-contrast colors. Plummer embraces this style due to his autism. The app displays memory usage differently than the original Task Manager. For instance, Chrome tabs consumed nearly 11 GB on TMOG compared to 8 GB on the original, while Slack used 1 GB on TMOG versus 500 MB on the original.\n\nOn the positive side, TMOG offers additional features not present in the original Task Manager, including CPU power, thermals, and a more detailed performance overview. However, these features are currently exclusive to the paid Pro version, which is still in beta. While the app's unique features may appeal to certain power users, its resource-intensive nature and the availability of similar tools through other applications may limit its overall appeal.",
  "summary": "If Task Manager is so good, why isn't there a Task Manager 2?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}