3 Oct
2010
3 Oct
'10
9:30 p.m.
As with many on this list, we have been using computers pretty much since their inception.
And while
I too am typing this on a MacBook Pro, which I do like for the most part, my experience
with Apple
products is that they are about 90%. They get the basics right and the potential for being
really
great is there, but there are always a handful of gee wouldn't it be nice if this
application did
this, etc. On the other hand, I pretty much know what this says about Microsoft... Of
course I do
like Linux, mostly because it is where Unix applications have pretty much evolved (and I
run Unix
on a couple of boxes as well), but while Linux has more or less succeeded in sustaining
itself as
the third runner in a three party system (where even the government has only really been
able to
maintain a two party system), the number of applications which just aren't available
for Linux
prohibits it's sole use. For this same reason, I run a virtual engine on the mac so
that I can (and
regularly do) run Mac OS X, Windows XP, and Ubuntu Linux, each for it's own set of
features. They
coexist quite nicely and I'm a happy camper, except when I want to do one of those
things on one
of my Apple products which someone has decided should not be allowed, or isn't worth
the additional
effort... sigh!
--tom
On 10/3/10 11:16 PM, Curt @ Atari Museum wrote:
I have an iPad. I like the 3G built in and to be
able to tap the internet and internet-connected
apps from it. However, the formfactor is a little too large and it gets to be annoying
to hold at
times, I would actually like something perhaps 1/2 to 3/4 its size. The onscreen
keyboard is
okay, but is BEGGING for arrow keys as the tap and click method is a potluck shot each
and every time.
It has no flash support which is a MAJOR disappointment beyond belief. Lack of
standard ports
like a USB port and the ability to load/unload data to/from it to some form of storage
accessible
space is a glaring issue.
Its a nice piece of technology, but I rate it a "B" overall because while thin
and innovative, it is
too proprietary and too closed.
I am looking very closely at the upcoming Playbook by Research in Motion myself and it is
turns out
to be a good solid device, the iPad will be headed to Ebay.
Curt
Ian King wrote:
Please, I just ate.... The iPad is another Apple
marketing success, but it isn't "defining" in
any sense. Just because the bleating masses bought a bunch of them doesn't mean
it's a meaningful
step in any direction except profit. It just means that the marketeers at Apple are
without
peer. That's not a compliment.
Keep in mind that I'm typing this on a PowerBook - I'm not anti-Mac. I own and
really enjoy a 7"
Android tablet device - I'm not anti-tablet. (I also own a Fujitsu Stylistic Tablet
PC that I
bought a long time ago, and if you want to sit down over a couple of beers I'd be
happy to talk
about its strengths and weaknesses and why the "Tablet PC" was ultimately
doomed.) I'm not
anti-"device", as I've been saying for some time that the "Personal
Computer" has had its day and
will be supplanted by "devices" that are not recognizable as computers - and
it's happening, with
the proliferation of mobile devices as the primary mechanism for consumption of
information
technology for millions of people around the world. (Why does Microsoft do so poorly in
this
market? Because it's in their DNA to tie it to the Personal Computer.)
But the iPad? Yuppie status symbol. Yet another expression of Steve Jobs' control
freak
personality. Dead end. IMHO -- Ian ________________________________________
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of
Liam Proven
[lproven at gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2010 9:15 AM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts Only
Subject: Re: Voice recognition will never kill the keyboard was: Re: Evolution
On 2 October 2010 19:59, Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
Well, yes, in 1983 they quite definitely weren't viable yet. :?)
The iPad is the defining device of this technology, at least so far.
It isn't a desktop computer and doesn't try to be. It's not a Mac,
it's not Mac-compatible. It has no windows, no desktop, no menu bar,
no Dock or trashcan. No keyboard, no screen, no system unit, no
removable media, no hard disk or floppy drive.
It is a *device*, not a "computer". (Even though it runs Unix.) It
sits in cradled in your lap or held in your hands as you operate it
with your thumbs. The screen /is/ the computer. It weighs under a kilo
and the battery lasts a day of use.
And despite it being nothing like anything anyone is used to, it sold
about three million devices in its first month or so.
--
Liam Proven ? Info & profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/lproven
Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lproven at gmail.com
Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884 ? Fax: + 44 870-9151419
AIM/Yahoo/Skype: liamproven ? MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? ICQ: 73187508
For the
existing apps that are mouse-centric, I see touchscreens
replacing them, but for things that are text-centric I don't see that
as a good transition.
TOuchscreens have been tried in the past (the most obviosu example is the
HP150 'Touchscreen PC') and I think they were always found to be less
convenient to use than a mouse or trackball. You have to move your hand
further (keyboard to screen rather than keyboard to mouse on desk near
keybaord), and you arm/hand is not supported (e.g. by resting it on the
desk) when you are doing the pointing.