Everyone thinks it's a great idea because everyone thinks you should just store all that data in "the cloud".
Who is "everyone"? Plenty of manufacturers offer SD cards in their devices and plenty of manufacturers offer large amounts of built-in storage. It often is a good idea to store data somewhere other than a smartphone that can be lost, stolen or destroyed pretty easily. Indeed taking photos and sharing them online is one of the key uses of smartphones these days as is using streaming music services over buying, maintaining and synchronizing your own music collection.
Then you can pay extra money to access it at 4G data rates.
Convenience and security costs money, thankfully data caps are going up and encrypted wifi is pretty prevalent these days.
There is no reason it has to be that way. It's not like they have to modify the damn software from upstream. They could just run Debian on it and whatever GUI they want. It would never be abandoned as far as security patches go then.
People have been able to do that on the desktop for decades if they wanted to and if you really wanted that you can do it with devices like the N900 (which you can still get on ebay). Sure I can run debian on my N900 and it's a neat trick but it's shitful as a smartphone.
That phone is an awesome device to play with but it's a toy. Running The Gimp, emacs and gcc on that thing was cool but not practically useful. Yes I could hack the OS and fix things but I don't want that on a smartphone, my iPhone gets updates for many years and by the time it stops getting updates the technology has advanced so far (processor/battery/screen/radio efficiency, camera technology, etc) that I want to replace it.
One of the major advantages of free software is that it DOESN'T get abandoned as long there is one knowledgeable user in the world that fixes it.
AOSP is free software, it's a perfect basis for a free mobile operating system so if free software is so advantageous and innovative then why hasn't some free fork of AOSP surpassed the proprietary incumbents?
but the iPhone, their implementation of the smartphone truly was an innovation that got stolen by now competitors (e.g. Android).....
How exactly can such a thing be "stolen"? They pulled together a bunch of existing technologies into a product that was innovative but that in itself isn't something that can be "stolen".
the concept of an integrated app store
That isn't patentable invention, that is just an idea (or as you called it, a "concept"). The way they implement that concept could possibly be innovative and patentable but it's unlikely competitors' implementations of that idea are the same as Apple's anyway.
Apple make a great product and got to the top primarily for that reason, the focus should be on making a good product, not dubious ways to artificially lock out competition. I'm also glad they implemented a lot of things from competitors because it's made their product better, I always thought the WP task manager was way better than iOS's then lo and behold Apple copied it, as an iOS user that was a good thing for me and had Microsoft been able to patent that idea I wouldn't have been able to get it. Same goes for the notification center and control center, again as an iOS user I'm glad Apple copied these from Android. I'm also sure Apple's competitors have copied from them too and this drives better products and forces companies to come up with new ideas to stay ahead of their competitors.
No it's showing that iPhones do not work for the majority of payment readers (in the US anyway) that are not NFC-enabled. Samsung's method works with both NFC and magnetic strip readers. This will be less and less of an advantage as the US catches up with the rest of the world.
That's because you are ignoring those who live below the poverty line.
No I'm not, I said "I can't imagine that many people will eschew going to the movies for a smartphone camera recording". Those living below the poverty line generally aren't going to the movies so it's not like the movie studios are missing out on anything with these cam versions.
I can't imagine that many people will eschew going to the movies for a smartphone camera recording. Maybe for screeners and Telecine rips but cam versions? Really?
Oh fuck off. I already told you why. I'm not repeating every fucking argument in every fucking post for the benefit of a forgetful moron.
No, perhaps you're just becoming senile in your old age but I asked you to substantiate your claims, which you failed to do. The iPad Pro is absolutely not lacking in computing power as a development tool and it is designed with a keyboard in mind so there is no reason it couldn't be used very effectively as a development machine. But you just cry that it is "irrational"...that is of course until Apple puts XCode on it and then I'm sure you'll hail it as "innovative".
Right but you said iOS and OS X could have "shared the same codebase" which, as the AC above pointed out, they indeed do. Because the "codebase" is code, not an executable and is not on any "App store".
I've lost count of how many languages and platforms I've worked on over the years. Stuck in my ways? You don't know what you're talking about.
Yes I get it you're trying to establish some credential so people take your word without justification, you can tell me you've worked on a million bazillion platforms and languages but that doesn't give your baseless arguments any more merit. Just justify your arguments with facts.
If your level of coding is "Hello World", it's fine. For a professional programmer it's woefully inadequate.
In what specific way(s)? You still fail to justify your assertion with any basis. You obviously don't know what you're talking about which is why you've gone with the "I'm old so you should just believe what I say" method of argument.
Being Windows it's heavily keyboard centric and keeping the keyboard up consumes a large part of the display.
Windows doesn't really have anything to do with it, when I want to launch a program on Windows or iOS it's the same mechanism: If it's on the homescreen then press it, otherwise search - which brings up the software keyboard on both platforms.
iPad apps all bring up a keyboard as sparingly as possible and try to make controls take as few presses as possible to use, while Windows apps often bury lots of things in deep menus or right-click menus (which require the trackpad part of the smart cover to access quickly).
Well that depends on what software you're using I suppose. Photoshop for Windows is a lot more capable than Photoshop for iOS which is why functionality resides in menus. But it also goes the other way - take web browsing for instance - Edge on Windows has the browser options in a dialog that you bring up from the side menu, Safari on iOS doesn't even have the options for the browser in that program at all, you have to go into an entirely different program and find Safari to get to its options.
It's not that one is better than the other, both have their advantages and disadvantages in certain areas which is why one is not a wholesale replacement for the other.
How are executables shared if one is ARM based and the other x64 based?
Executables aren't shared precisely due to the architectural differences. GP wrote that "code" is shared but code is then compiled into architecture-specific exectuables. That code can be compiled into an executable for any hardware that supports its requirements and those of its dependencies.
They've got Adobe products and Microsoft Office on the iPad. Assuming you can connect to network shares from the iPad, it's just a matter of convincing people it's better than sliced bread and Apple's good at that.
What they need is file sharing between applications on the device. Not being able to work on one file in multiple applications is a real hindrance for productivity on iOS.
What it does is answers your "you must have no experience of coding".
Yes I didn't take into account the fact that you might just be "old and set in your ways" and that is the reason you just say it is "irrational" despite the fact that there is no reason to say that.
And no, I'm not all set in my ways, that's just silly stereotyping.
Well it obviously isn't because despite your assertions a tablet with a keyboard is just fine for development in terms of the input mechanism and it certainly isn't lacking computational power, yet you still just say it is "irrational". I'm not sure what your agenda is or why you're pretending to have so much difficulty understanding that.
AMD said mantle was gonna be open source for since day one, did THEY ever release the source for it before killing development for it?
No they didn't, in fact "Open Source" is not even applicable to Mantle. They said it would be an open specification, however instead of creating yet another standard they decided to offer it as the basis for glNext (now Vulkan) for which the specification will be open, just like OpenGL.
I can't believe yet another industry produces a shit experience for their customer and then when the customer rectifies that shitty experience they are demonized as thieves. Didn't they learn anything from the music industry?
I've been a developer for 30 years. There's nothing in that post I am wrong about.
When you can't rebut valid arguments so your only response is "i'm old so i must be right" you lose all credibility. I get it, you're old and set in your ways, sorry but that doesn't change facts.
Unlike you, most people are happy to either substantiate their arguments with facts or admit that they were wrong, not whine when the facts don't align with their argument. Though you've now proven you're too much of a simpleton to hit the little X on the notification so I shouldn't really expect rational thought from you.
Decent example. But I'd have just pointed at pants. Those are ubiquitous too. How many people do you know that could make a pair? Or even repair them? Hem them? Replace a button?
I think the average persons ability to write code will be on par with their expertise with clothing. They'll be able to get dressed, and that's about it.
That is exactly right! Lots of people love clothes and fashion, it's ubiquitous like technology...however very few people are interested in (or capable of) actually making clothes.
I know. I was being ironic. Your "argument" style is to quote snippets and attack them.
No it was quoting your points and rebutting them with facts, sorry but you're wrong.
It's a preferred method for argumentative tops because it allows them to create a strawman.
Except there is no strawman (are you saying this because you don't know what "starwman" means?) they are facts that disprove your argument.
And more than that I'm not interested in arguing with someone, particularly someone that has clearly already made up their mind; I'm interested in rational objective discourse.
Absolute garbage, for one you've replied after you've already said you are not interested and secondly your argument is purely emotional which is why it was so easy for me to disprove it with facts. It may be your opinion - for example - that Windows has become slower and more resource hungry but it is a fact that you are wrong.
However, to be clear, you can't prove me wrong in a subjective discussion
Actually it is not a subjective discussion at all, hence the reason I was able to disprove what you wrote with objective facts.
and you've done nothing to show me you've even considered what I've said.
Wrong again, go back and read it. If you refuse to be educated then that is your failing.
See it's not that I have made up my mind, it is that the population as a whole has done so and agreed with me. I think it would be great if GNU/Linux were a viable alternative on the desktop but it needs to offer something innovative and disruptive. You have proven yet again that you fools just stick your ignorant heads in the sand and pretend your distorted world view is representative of reality, which is why it goes nowhere. And yes, that is sad.
Don't be an idiot, of course they are. I disproved your claims and I even provided citation. I asked you to back up your claims (specifically the user interface problems) to better understand your perspective but it seems you haven't actually thought about any of this.
but I see little point in picking your argument apart line by line
Actually that is what I did to your argument in order to disprove it. I've addressed your concerns re: Windows 10, explained that developers don't have their "eggs all in one basket" and questioned why you think this user interface has an impact on application usage.
You have clearly made up your mind.
Actually no, it's not just me, it's the entire industry that agrees with me. You disagree and you aren't capable of disproving what I have written because it is fact. There is no reason GNU/Linux could not disrupt the market but it needs a disruptive feature to do so, not just to be the fallback option in case Windows and OS X got to shit and can no longer run applications.
I don't buy your argument that you would need two devices.
Well do Macbooks support a stylus? I don't think so.
Web browsing is not noticeably better with touch.
That's your opinion, if that's so and a tablet is pointless compared to a laptop then nobody is going to buy the ipad pro over a macbook.
It is irrrational to use a tablet for coding. You compromise on input devices, and you cpompromise on power.
It has a keyboard, do you not have any experience coding at all? We don't use a mouse to write code. And no, the power argument is long gone, the ARM CPUs of today have plenty of power.
And if you think you don't need power for coding, you've never tried to build a real application with Android Studio.
No, Android Studio's inefficiencies are not representative of coding in general. If you think it is then perhaps you just need some more experience with other tools.
But that is a short sighted approach, and therein lies the why you are looking for.
The desktop has been ruled by Windows for decades and it doesn't show any signs of changing, however many developers have also invested in the second-biggest player in the market: Apple. Using cross-platform/portable technologies is always a good idea, but there's still little reason to actually support Linux.
Game devs, hardware vendors, and most general software developers have all their eggs in the Microsoft basket.
No, a great many support OS X as well and often use cross-platform frameworks like Qt that run on GNU/Linux but there is still no reason to target and support GNU/Linux.
Microsoft has long released a product that runs slower, takes more of your system resources
You can actually turn off all that, plenty of guides on the net if you struggle with the privacy settings dialog.
and forces you to use a terrible user interface.
Could you explain the differences of the "terrible user interface" with regard to somebody using, say Photoshop? Because all the applications I have used on Windows 10 don't look any different than they did on any version that preceded it.
Gnu/Linux by design does not operate as a single basket but rather an open standard that gives you a choice of basket.
Given this whole "systemd" debacle it would seem that GNU/Linux is fundamentally dependent on RedHat and that creating/maintaining your own distribution outside of that channel is impractical.
Whats the thing that you do that requires a tablet?
It isn't necessarily a requirement, but stylus functionality and of course the fact that most web-browsing is a lot nicer with a touch interface. There really isn't any difference between a laptop and a tablet + keyboard - other than artificially-imposed constraints - that make it "irrational" to use a tablet for coding.
In all these cases I find it frustrating that gnu/Linux bears the blame. Microsoft office, Adobe products, video games, and major video cards software drivers are all 3rd party software products made by 3rd party companies that choose not to support Linux.
Why would they invest in supporting it? Most of their users aren't bothered about what the underlying operating system is, they just want to run those applications.
Slashdot Mirror
Everyone thinks it's a great idea because everyone thinks you should just store all that data in "the cloud".
Who is "everyone"? Plenty of manufacturers offer SD cards in their devices and plenty of manufacturers offer large amounts of built-in storage. It often is a good idea to store data somewhere other than a smartphone that can be lost, stolen or destroyed pretty easily. Indeed taking photos and sharing them online is one of the key uses of smartphones these days as is using streaming music services over buying, maintaining and synchronizing your own music collection.
Then you can pay extra money to access it at 4G data rates.
Convenience and security costs money, thankfully data caps are going up and encrypted wifi is pretty prevalent these days.
There is no reason it has to be that way. It's not like they have to modify the damn software from upstream. They could just run Debian on it and whatever GUI they want. It would never be abandoned as far as security patches go then.
People have been able to do that on the desktop for decades if they wanted to and if you really wanted that you can do it with devices like the N900 (which you can still get on ebay). Sure I can run debian on my N900 and it's a neat trick but it's shitful as a smartphone.
That phone is an awesome device to play with but it's a toy. Running The Gimp, emacs and gcc on that thing was cool but not practically useful. Yes I could hack the OS and fix things but I don't want that on a smartphone, my iPhone gets updates for many years and by the time it stops getting updates the technology has advanced so far (processor/battery/screen/radio efficiency, camera technology, etc) that I want to replace it.
One of the major advantages of free software is that it DOESN'T get abandoned as long there is one knowledgeable user in the world that fixes it.
AOSP is free software, it's a perfect basis for a free mobile operating system so if free software is so advantageous and innovative then why hasn't some free fork of AOSP surpassed the proprietary incumbents?
but the iPhone, their implementation of the smartphone truly was an innovation that got stolen by now competitors (e.g. Android).....
How exactly can such a thing be "stolen"? They pulled together a bunch of existing technologies into a product that was innovative but that in itself isn't something that can be "stolen".
the concept of an integrated app store
That isn't patentable invention, that is just an idea (or as you called it, a "concept"). The way they implement that concept could possibly be innovative and patentable but it's unlikely competitors' implementations of that idea are the same as Apple's anyway.
Apple make a great product and got to the top primarily for that reason, the focus should be on making a good product, not dubious ways to artificially lock out competition. I'm also glad they implemented a lot of things from competitors because it's made their product better, I always thought the WP task manager was way better than iOS's then lo and behold Apple copied it, as an iOS user that was a good thing for me and had Microsoft been able to patent that idea I wouldn't have been able to get it. Same goes for the notification center and control center, again as an iOS user I'm glad Apple copied these from Android. I'm also sure Apple's competitors have copied from them too and this drives better products and forces companies to come up with new ideas to stay ahead of their competitors.
Yeah, except 100% of those payment terminals are being replaced due to the mandated shift in card-present liability in October.
That's some seriously wishful thinking there, I like the enthusiasm though :P
No it's showing that iPhones do not work for the majority of payment readers (in the US anyway) that are not NFC-enabled. Samsung's method works with both NFC and magnetic strip readers. This will be less and less of an advantage as the US catches up with the rest of the world.
That's because you are ignoring those who live below the poverty line.
No I'm not, I said "I can't imagine that many people will eschew going to the movies for a smartphone camera recording". Those living below the poverty line generally aren't going to the movies so it's not like the movie studios are missing out on anything with these cam versions.
I can't imagine that many people will eschew going to the movies for a smartphone camera recording. Maybe for screeners and Telecine rips but cam versions? Really?
Oh fuck off. I already told you why. I'm not repeating every fucking argument in every fucking post for the benefit of a forgetful moron.
No, perhaps you're just becoming senile in your old age but I asked you to substantiate your claims, which you failed to do. The iPad Pro is absolutely not lacking in computing power as a development tool and it is designed with a keyboard in mind so there is no reason it couldn't be used very effectively as a development machine. But you just cry that it is "irrational"...that is of course until Apple puts XCode on it and then I'm sure you'll hail it as "innovative".
Yeah, but the App stores contain executables.
Right but you said iOS and OS X could have "shared the same codebase" which, as the AC above pointed out, they indeed do. Because the "codebase" is code, not an executable and is not on any "App store".
I've lost count of how many languages and platforms I've worked on over the years. Stuck in my ways? You don't know what you're talking about.
Yes I get it you're trying to establish some credential so people take your word without justification, you can tell me you've worked on a million bazillion platforms and languages but that doesn't give your baseless arguments any more merit. Just justify your arguments with facts.
If your level of coding is "Hello World", it's fine. For a professional programmer it's woefully inadequate.
In what specific way(s)? You still fail to justify your assertion with any basis. You obviously don't know what you're talking about which is why you've gone with the "I'm old so you should just believe what I say" method of argument.
Being Windows it's heavily keyboard centric and keeping the keyboard up consumes a large part of the display.
Windows doesn't really have anything to do with it, when I want to launch a program on Windows or iOS it's the same mechanism: If it's on the homescreen then press it, otherwise search - which brings up the software keyboard on both platforms.
iPad apps all bring up a keyboard as sparingly as possible and try to make controls take as few presses as possible to use, while Windows apps often bury lots of things in deep menus or right-click menus (which require the trackpad part of the smart cover to access quickly).
Well that depends on what software you're using I suppose. Photoshop for Windows is a lot more capable than Photoshop for iOS which is why functionality resides in menus. But it also goes the other way - take web browsing for instance - Edge on Windows has the browser options in a dialog that you bring up from the side menu, Safari on iOS doesn't even have the options for the browser in that program at all, you have to go into an entirely different program and find Safari to get to its options.
It's not that one is better than the other, both have their advantages and disadvantages in certain areas which is why one is not a wholesale replacement for the other.
How are executables shared if one is ARM based and the other x64 based?
Executables aren't shared precisely due to the architectural differences. GP wrote that "code" is shared but code is then compiled into architecture-specific exectuables. That code can be compiled into an executable for any hardware that supports its requirements and those of its dependencies.
They've got Adobe products and Microsoft Office on the iPad. Assuming you can connect to network shares from the iPad, it's just a matter of convincing people it's better than sliced bread and Apple's good at that.
What they need is file sharing between applications on the device. Not being able to work on one file in multiple applications is a real hindrance for productivity on iOS.
What it does is answers your "you must have no experience of coding".
Yes I didn't take into account the fact that you might just be "old and set in your ways" and that is the reason you just say it is "irrational" despite the fact that there is no reason to say that.
And no, I'm not all set in my ways, that's just silly stereotyping.
Well it obviously isn't because despite your assertions a tablet with a keyboard is just fine for development in terms of the input mechanism and it certainly isn't lacking computational power, yet you still just say it is "irrational". I'm not sure what your agenda is or why you're pretending to have so much difficulty understanding that.
AMD said mantle was gonna be open source for since day one, did THEY ever release the source for it before killing development for it?
No they didn't, in fact "Open Source" is not even applicable to Mantle. They said it would be an open specification, however instead of creating yet another standard they decided to offer it as the basis for glNext (now Vulkan) for which the specification will be open, just like OpenGL.
I can't believe yet another industry produces a shit experience for their customer and then when the customer rectifies that shitty experience they are demonized as thieves. Didn't they learn anything from the music industry?
I've been a developer for 30 years. There's nothing in that post I am wrong about.
When you can't rebut valid arguments so your only response is "i'm old so i must be right" you lose all credibility. I get it, you're old and set in your ways, sorry but that doesn't change facts.
Unlike you, most people are happy to either substantiate their arguments with facts or admit that they were wrong, not whine when the facts don't align with their argument. Though you've now proven you're too much of a simpleton to hit the little X on the notification so I shouldn't really expect rational thought from you.
Decent example. But I'd have just pointed at pants. Those are ubiquitous too. How many people do you know that could make a pair? Or even repair them? Hem them? Replace a button?
I think the average persons ability to write code will be on par with their expertise with clothing. They'll be able to get dressed, and that's about it.
That is exactly right! Lots of people love clothes and fashion, it's ubiquitous like technology...however very few people are interested in (or capable of) actually making clothes.
I know. I was being ironic. Your "argument" style is to quote snippets and attack them.
No it was quoting your points and rebutting them with facts, sorry but you're wrong.
It's a preferred method for argumentative tops because it allows them to create a strawman.
Except there is no strawman (are you saying this because you don't know what "starwman" means?) they are facts that disprove your argument.
And more than that I'm not interested in arguing with someone, particularly someone that has clearly already made up their mind; I'm interested in rational objective discourse.
Absolute garbage, for one you've replied after you've already said you are not interested and secondly your argument is purely emotional which is why it was so easy for me to disprove it with facts. It may be your opinion - for example - that Windows has become slower and more resource hungry but it is a fact that you are wrong.
However, to be clear, you can't prove me wrong in a subjective discussion
Actually it is not a subjective discussion at all, hence the reason I was able to disprove what you wrote with objective facts.
and you've done nothing to show me you've even considered what I've said.
Wrong again, go back and read it. If you refuse to be educated then that is your failing.
See it's not that I have made up my mind, it is that the population as a whole has done so and agreed with me. I think it would be great if GNU/Linux were a viable alternative on the desktop but it needs to offer something innovative and disruptive. You have proven yet again that you fools just stick your ignorant heads in the sand and pretend your distorted world view is representative of reality, which is why it goes nowhere. And yes, that is sad.
None of your arguments are valid
Don't be an idiot, of course they are. I disproved your claims and I even provided citation. I asked you to back up your claims (specifically the user interface problems) to better understand your perspective but it seems you haven't actually thought about any of this.
but I see little point in picking your argument apart line by line
Actually that is what I did to your argument in order to disprove it. I've addressed your concerns re: Windows 10, explained that developers don't have their "eggs all in one basket" and questioned why you think this user interface has an impact on application usage.
You have clearly made up your mind.
Actually no, it's not just me, it's the entire industry that agrees with me. You disagree and you aren't capable of disproving what I have written because it is fact. There is no reason GNU/Linux could not disrupt the market but it needs a disruptive feature to do so, not just to be the fallback option in case Windows and OS X got to shit and can no longer run applications.
I don't buy your argument that you would need two devices.
Well do Macbooks support a stylus? I don't think so.
Web browsing is not noticeably better with touch.
That's your opinion, if that's so and a tablet is pointless compared to a laptop then nobody is going to buy the ipad pro over a macbook.
It is irrrational to use a tablet for coding. You compromise on input devices, and you cpompromise on power.
It has a keyboard, do you not have any experience coding at all? We don't use a mouse to write code. And no, the power argument is long gone, the ARM CPUs of today have plenty of power.
And if you think you don't need power for coding, you've never tried to build a real application with Android Studio.
No, Android Studio's inefficiencies are not representative of coding in general. If you think it is then perhaps you just need some more experience with other tools.
But that is a short sighted approach, and therein lies the why you are looking for.
The desktop has been ruled by Windows for decades and it doesn't show any signs of changing, however many developers have also invested in the second-biggest player in the market: Apple. Using cross-platform/portable technologies is always a good idea, but there's still little reason to actually support Linux.
Game devs, hardware vendors, and most general software developers have all their eggs in the Microsoft basket.
No, a great many support OS X as well and often use cross-platform frameworks like Qt that run on GNU/Linux but there is still no reason to target and support GNU/Linux.
Microsoft has long released a product that runs slower, takes more of your system resources
Wrong, it has become faster and using less resources over time, the current version is less resource hungry than the version that preceded it and that was faster than the one that preceded that.
and now also spies on you
You can actually turn off all that, plenty of guides on the net if you struggle with the privacy settings dialog.
and forces you to use a terrible user interface.
Could you explain the differences of the "terrible user interface" with regard to somebody using, say Photoshop? Because all the applications I have used on Windows 10 don't look any different than they did on any version that preceded it.
Gnu/Linux by design does not operate as a single basket but rather an open standard that gives you a choice of basket.
Given this whole "systemd" debacle it would seem that GNU/Linux is fundamentally dependent on RedHat and that creating/maintaining your own distribution outside of that channel is impractical.
Whats the thing that you do that requires a tablet?
It isn't necessarily a requirement, but stylus functionality and of course the fact that most web-browsing is a lot nicer with a touch interface. There really isn't any difference between a laptop and a tablet + keyboard - other than artificially-imposed constraints - that make it "irrational" to use a tablet for coding.
In all these cases I find it frustrating that gnu/Linux bears the blame. Microsoft office, Adobe products, video games, and major video cards software drivers are all 3rd party software products made by 3rd party companies that choose not to support Linux.
Why would they invest in supporting it? Most of their users aren't bothered about what the underlying operating system is, they just want to run those applications.