Task Killer App

I use the Advanced Task Killer [ATK] app, which is also free, from the Market.  My Hero battery was dying awfully fast because I could not find a way to make sure the programs I closed were no longer running in the background when I didn't want them to.

After I installed ATK, I added it to my home screen so that after I do any texting or web browsing (or navigating, etc.), I simply return to my home screen, tap on the Android icon used by ATK, and select which tasks I want to kill from the list that comes up.  The first time you actually use ATK you will be surprised how many tasks are running.  You can even "kill" the ATK task because all you have to do is open it again from your home screen.  "Killing" a task does not remove it from your phone, it just removes it from staying ready to re-open in your phone's background.  My Hero opens programs fast enough for me that I don't have to have anything open in the background and using precious battery life.

I have already called Best Buy to talk to them about exchanging my Hero for the Samsung Moment because I find I really need a physical keyboard, but I want to stay with Android.

Along this forums topic...does anyone know what are the essential apps when the Moment starts up?
Cause this thing starts up running so many things.
Most task killers or managers allow an ignore list-I'm not sure what all to put on their?

Anyone have an idea of the neccesary apps that should be put on the ignore list?
Any input would be greatly appreciated.

From what I have read around the forums I think you can kill all task and then the essential ones will open back up then from there create your ignore list. I think any widgets you have will restart also. Imho I am avoiding this whole task killer pheonom because I feel my battery life is pefectly fine and id rather let the manufacturer handle the background stuff going on.

I like ATK Free, but I prefer Taskpanel by by sychee.  It does everything ATK Free does, but it has an extra feature that I like.  Whenever you hold-down an icon from the running apps, you get the extra option of "Add Task to Auto-kill list".  

Auto-kill has to be activated (it's not by default):
Menu > Preferences > Setup Auto-Killer

Enable Auto-Killer: Enable
Change Frequency:  Every 5 minutes
Change Threshold:  Memory < 50 MB

Now whenever I have less than 50 MB available memory (which is always),  Taskpanel automatically closes those apps on the Auto-Kill list if you aren't currently using them.  In other words it does this in the background so I don't have to manually hit a button to close apps.  

Obviously I added some apps to the ignore-list so Taskpanel ignores them, like email, messaging etc.  Oh yeah, also enable "Instant Acsess" so it stays on the status bar.

http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-taskpanel-jBtD.aspx

*** Edit

Forgot to add that I also use a widget called Processmanager by CurveFish which costs .99¢.  It is a task killer like the other ones, but it also displays running apps in a widget, which makes it very fast to see what is running. 

The widget has 3 areas (for lack of a better term).  The first area has a skull on it and kills all running apps.  The middle area graphically shows running apps, and the last area is a refresh button to update it.  If you pick the center area, you get a pop-up where you can choose which particular apps to kill.
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-curvefish-apps-processmanager-xppx.aspx

I use Advanced Task Killer (wasn't free) and I use Startup Auditor, and I use Automatic Task Killer.

The Sprint store told me that the CL14 update takes care of these problems.

How do you tell if apps are still running in the background if you have a clean screen?