I'm suspicious too, but hopeful at least. In the meantime, I've downloaded my reader subscription list... if Feedly doesn't pan out after July 1, then I will start to look at other options. Personally, I'll be able to live without my feeds for some time, but for me they are largely in the "recreational" side of things, and I can always resort/revert to bookmarking the essentials for the time being.
I've been using Feedly since about 1-2 days after the announcement of Reader's cancellation, and although it took a while to get used to it I've found it to be a pretty solid replacement. The iOS app works well for me, and I appreciate that there are a few alternative views available for scrolling through your feed. I hope that it continues to work well once the Reader "tap" is shut off for good - Feedly has said the transition will be "seamless", I have my fingers crossed.
It already sounds like you made your choice, so why are you posting a question that is trying to convince us to agree with you?
Here's the OP's question:
"What are other Slashdotter's experiences using tablets without a separate desktop computer?"
I'm not sure how one can agree or disagree with that question.
As far as I'm aware, Grant McEwan (in Edmonton) is a College, not a University. I'm not sure what that difference means in the U.S. of A., but in Canada they are fairly distinct. I have no idea what bearing this has on the story, either.
I was just a little surprised, as -20 C is not really much of an extreme temperature for much of my country during the winter. -40 yes, but not -20. I often travel by bus with my laptop in a backpack, and it's not unusual to be outside in lower temperatures than that for periods of time waiting for the bus.
So far, low temperatures have never been a cause for concern as far as electronics are concerned - laptops, audio devices, cell phones, cameras etc.
Wow - why do they even sell them here in Canada, then? Am I not supposed to take it outside below -20C? That's almost every night for half the winter!
In fact, though, I've had my iPod Touch (1st Gen) for about 3 years, and I take and *use* it outdoors in -30 to -20 temperatures all the time - no problem. It's actually survived a dunking in the bathtub, too.
Ummmm... shouldn't you include the rest of the world in this comparison? Africa alone has more than Europe and the U.S. put together... not to even mention Asia. Are there major countries outside of Europe that use the European system?
I'm not advocating for one over the other here, just trying to follow your argument.
Precisely! I don't think google cares 2 cents if chrome is a hit or not - they would much rather that the other major browsers take on its features so that gMail, gCalendar, gDocs gOffice gSuite whatever can take over all of your software needs.
What makes an album the be-all and end-all of music listening? Albums have only existed for less than a century, while songs and music have existed for many millenia. I am a professional musician (for 20 years), and have many, many favourite albums, but I'm not sure the death of the album is all that much to cry about.
Sorry, but I don't understand what I got "backwards". I suppose I could have been a little clearer - when I said "must be related to this" I meant that we must relate the two (internet access and literacy) in order to better understand the situation. But I don't think I implied that anything was the outcome of the other, in either direction, so I don't understand how I could be backwards...
I thank the overall literacy rate must be related to this - even abundant access to a computer won't mean much if you can't read. According to the OLPC website, "Most of the nearly twoâ"billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all. One in three does not complete the fifth grade."
Also, let's not forget that much of the world does not have access to electricity on a regular basis. Also from the OLPC website: "...XO can be recharged by human power. This is a critical advance for the half-billion children who have no access to electricity."
... but is there any reason to think that an operating system being able to open files in a format from another system is a bad thing? If there was more across-the-board compatibility like this, then more people would be able to make the choice of OS based on actual features. As it is now, many of us are stuck with a certain OS merely because we have certain software that only runs on that OS, which isn't really a choice at all.
I'd be very happy if they did something on the smaller side. About the size of a smallish hardcover book, say six to eight inches on its longer dimension. Make an iphone/ipod touch of about that size with a full OS on it and bluetooth for peripherals, and you have a very nice item which could really outdo the current sub-notebook pcs.
As someone who has made his living primarily as a musician for nearly two decades, I could offer a little perspective. Audio fidelity is only one small factor. Most blues fans would agree that Robert Johnson's recordings, made in the 1930s, are among the greatest that exist. If you listen to those recordings, they are noisy and full of audio defects. From the wikipedia article: "the tonally tinny, hyper-treble end product of a sub-standard studio recording from the 1930s". Does this in any way detract from the musicality? Not at all. The songs and their performance shine through despite the poor recording capabilities of the time. Audio fidelity is NOT the be-all and end-all.
Slashdot Mirror
Wow, I never noticed that before. What a strange idea.
I'm suspicious too, but hopeful at least. In the meantime, I've downloaded my reader subscription list ... if Feedly doesn't pan out after July 1, then I will start to look at other options. Personally, I'll be able to live without my feeds for some time, but for me they are largely in the "recreational" side of things, and I can always resort/revert to bookmarking the essentials for the time being.
I've been using Feedly since about 1-2 days after the announcement of Reader's cancellation, and although it took a while to get used to it I've found it to be a pretty solid replacement. The iOS app works well for me, and I appreciate that there are a few alternative views available for scrolling through your feed. I hope that it continues to work well once the Reader "tap" is shut off for good - Feedly has said the transition will be "seamless", I have my fingers crossed.
It already sounds like you made your choice, so why are you posting a question that is trying to convince us to agree with you?
Here's the OP's question: "What are other Slashdotter's experiences using tablets without a separate desktop computer?" I'm not sure how one can agree or disagree with that question.
Awesome book! Haven't seen it since I was a kid ... now I need to track down a copy.
As far as I'm aware, Grant McEwan (in Edmonton) is a College, not a University. I'm not sure what that difference means in the U.S. of A., but in Canada they are fairly distinct. I have no idea what bearing this has on the story, either.
I was just a little surprised, as -20 C is not really much of an extreme temperature for much of my country during the winter. -40 yes, but not -20. I often travel by bus with my laptop in a backpack, and it's not unusual to be outside in lower temperatures than that for periods of time waiting for the bus. So far, low temperatures have never been a cause for concern as far as electronics are concerned - laptops, audio devices, cell phones, cameras etc.
Wow - why do they even sell them here in Canada, then? Am I not supposed to take it outside below -20C? That's almost every night for half the winter! In fact, though, I've had my iPod Touch (1st Gen) for about 3 years, and I take and *use* it outdoors in -30 to -20 temperatures all the time - no problem. It's actually survived a dunking in the bathtub, too.
Here we go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DecimalSeparator.png
:)
Assuming this is accurate, the inclusion of India and China in the "dot" group would, by themselves, seem to settle the question.
I'm actually quite surprised how many countries fall into the "unknown" category!
Ummmm... shouldn't you include the rest of the world in this comparison? Africa alone has more than Europe and the U.S. put together... not to even mention Asia. Are there major countries outside of Europe that use the European system? I'm not advocating for one over the other here, just trying to follow your argument.
http://smozzie.com/fracas.html Nice little Risk-style game, but not a clone. Customizable pseudo-random maps, good AI, low system requirements.
Yeah - I find that astounding. What category are the under $25,000 group, then?
Precisely! I don't think google cares 2 cents if chrome is a hit or not - they would much rather that the other major browsers take on its features so that gMail, gCalendar, gDocs gOffice gSuite whatever can take over all of your software needs.
What makes an album the be-all and end-all of music listening? Albums have only existed for less than a century, while songs and music have existed for many millenia. I am a professional musician (for 20 years), and have many, many favourite albums, but I'm not sure the death of the album is all that much to cry about.
but Gmail runs better in Chrome than Outlook does in Windows!
to alter my memory - there are plenty of other good, and more enjoyable, ways to do that!
Sorry, but I don't understand what I got "backwards". I suppose I could have been a little clearer - when I said "must be related to this" I meant that we must relate the two (internet access and literacy) in order to better understand the situation. But I don't think I implied that anything was the outcome of the other, in either direction, so I don't understand how I could be backwards...
I thank the overall literacy rate must be related to this - even abundant access to a computer won't mean much if you can't read. According to the OLPC website, "Most of the nearly twoâ"billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all. One in three does not complete the fifth grade." Also, let's not forget that much of the world does not have access to electricity on a regular basis. Also from the OLPC website: "...XO can be recharged by human power. This is a critical advance for the half-billion children who have no access to electricity."
... the World Wide Waffle?
What's surreal is imagining that anyone could find anything worth watching at that resolution...
Having to hear these same arguments about overcompression, mp3s, and vinyl too many times.
... but is there any reason to think that an operating system being able to open files in a format from another system is a bad thing? If there was more across-the-board compatibility like this, then more people would be able to make the choice of OS based on actual features. As it is now, many of us are stuck with a certain OS merely because we have certain software that only runs on that OS, which isn't really a choice at all.
there were no interesting stories, so someone posted some tired microsoft-bashing article instead?
Oh...
I'd be very happy if they did something on the smaller side. About the size of a smallish hardcover book, say six to eight inches on its longer dimension. Make an iphone/ipod touch of about that size with a full OS on it and bluetooth for peripherals, and you have a very nice item which could really outdo the current sub-notebook pcs.
As someone who has made his living primarily as a musician for nearly two decades, I could offer a little perspective. Audio fidelity is only one small factor. Most blues fans would agree that Robert Johnson's recordings, made in the 1930s, are among the greatest that exist. If you listen to those recordings, they are noisy and full of audio defects. From the wikipedia article: "the tonally tinny, hyper-treble end product of a sub-standard studio recording from the 1930s". Does this in any way detract from the musicality? Not at all. The songs and their performance shine through despite the poor recording capabilities of the time. Audio fidelity is NOT the be-all and end-all.