This brings an interesting question to the forefront: is there a window manager currently created (or that can be easily modified) to fit most handheld's dimensions? Like a MiniKDE or MiniGnome?
The guy who mentioned Palm's UI has got it right: Linux needs a specific window manager tailored to the small screen.
Unix systems aren't aimed at beginners? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't that the mindset 20 years ago? Evolution, dude.
Let's put it this way: I've been messing around with computers since I was 6. I'm 21 today. If there wasn't a GUI on my current OpenLinux 2.4 system, I wouldn't be running it clear and simple. To me a standardized, well-documented and easy-to-use GUI is just as important as a system being "uncrashable".
Prompts are nice, and they allow you to some accomplish things that in GUIs would take multiple steps, but when I want to make simple movements like 2 or 3 files I use the GUI. It's one of the major things that's drawing mass media users into Linux in this day and age.
Re:Does Jobs bugger everything all to hell?
on
Looking Back At NeXT
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· Score: 1
I find this topic interesting, partly because I switch from PC fantacism to Apple "wow that's cool-looking" comments around the time of every MacExpo.
If you read Steven Levy's book "Hackers", though, you'll notice that nearly every technical decision (those that revolutionized the industry; for example, using the original Apple's CPU to do only half the graphics work necessary by "spinning" the pixels onto the screen) were made by Woz. Woz gets overappreciated sometimes but it's hard to argue with his results. He's a true hacker: one who loves taking apart and analysing machines for the fun of it. Jobs seems to provide only the marketing muscle.
(While I'm on the subject, let's go Offtopic for a while. Ever noticed that hackers today go to unnecessarily extraordinary lengths to break systems and construct ultra-secure systems for themselves? It wasn't always that way. Levy talks about the first timeshare machine, and how it was purposely designed so that every file on the "server" could be read by every "user". There were passwords, but only for the system to identify who you were. Otherwise it was like an open tape drawer: an invitation to view the works of your comrades, change them and make them better. My, has the hacker mentality changed.
It sounds like a very long way of Carmack to deliver the message: "my company wants to lean towards consoles".
And why shouldn't they? Easy creation schedules (the hardware never changes, no need to catch up during a product's construcion) and easy support paths make the console a dream. Plus, after licensing fees constructing a couple million GD-ROMs, with almost intrinsic copyright protection (until recently, noone could really break them) is a cinch.
According to some gaming magazines, PC gaming might be going the way of the dinosaur. Not too many actual hard facts, but it gets you thinking, with this much power and copyright protection on tap for the next generation of consoles, why wouldn't developers go that way?
The problem with the newer releases of Mozilla, and several versions of Netscape up until 4.0, is that malformed HTML causes the browser to come crashing down. It shouldn't do this. Render the page incorrectly if necessary, but no simple error in HTML should wreck the parser to the point of crashing.
I'm on the Win2K side of my machine right now, so I think I'll use Windows Media player. I find it cleaner anyway, and I don't want every clip I view to be sent to Real (that's all I needed, IBM ads in my RealPlayer in Linux).
I actually find this fasinating. The design, particularly by a major corporation, really begs to be scrutinized - but so far I find no holes. The file limitation is there for a purpose: this is more for the transfer of text files.
Begs a question though: if there's no search feature, than the long URLs are going to have to be placed on normal web servers. Doesn't this defeat the security?
Is there any version of an antialiased X-server out there that doesn't require massive recompilations (for us newbies who like Linux but can't even recompile the kernel)?
Is there any reason why there is a Quake topic on Slashdot when Unreal Tournament (UT) is a vastly better game (not just by my standpoint, but every major computer game magazine which named it game of the year in 1999), has better MOD support and better developer support (the releasing of free bonus packs and point upgrade patches that address problems real players are having).
Plus, personal view, I think it kicks more ass.:) I returned my copy of Quake III Arena the minute I bought Unreal Tournament (and the CD came with a Win32 and Linux version both on the same disk, as opposed to Carmack's practices of packaging it separately).
I was under the impression that the source wasn't released under Gnutella because Nullsoft was required to remove all material regarding the software immediately upon AOL's request. If I recall correctly, the software was only up for a day or two (and the version they released was definitely a low-end point release).
Given another day or three and they might have released the code.
The final device will be something similar to what Nokia is proposing: a banana shaped device made of plastic which could be held with one or two hands. With one, it would function like an ordinary cell phone and provide caller privacy; with two, the 1.5 by 1.5 inch color screen would provide video phone capability. Since you would hold the device laterially, internal speakers would be raised in volume so you could hold the device away from you (down near your lap, for instance).
PDA would be built in, as well as basic digital TV reception over cellular. There would be no number keys; the device would recognize your phone number by voice. The whole thing would be Bluetooth enabled, so you could communicate with nearby devices without using cellular, improve transmissions on digital video transfers by polling nearby devices with better bandwidth and purchasing items like soda at vendor machines by simply waving the device in its direction and pressing a "purchase" button.
Lastly, there would be better security, so not anyone could pick up your "banana phone" and use it to make calls and purchases. Digital voice signatures plus a small PIN would be needed to operate the device.
I switched my main game machine to Windows 2000 after some pretty extensive testing (tried the games out, see if they worked -- if not, I planned on erasing the machine and reinstalling Win 98 SE), but everything went fine. I might be seeing a SLIGHT decrease in performance -- like 2-4%, but it's really not noticable at all. Besides, I would rather have a system that ran fine and wouldn't go down with a game's crash, than a system that ran just a smidge faster and fell apart at the seams.
Slashdot Mirror
The guy who mentioned Palm's UI has got it right: Linux needs a specific window manager tailored to the small screen.
Let's put it this way: I've been messing around with computers since I was 6. I'm 21 today. If there wasn't a GUI on my current OpenLinux 2.4 system, I wouldn't be running it clear and simple. To me a standardized, well-documented and easy-to-use GUI is just as important as a system being "uncrashable".
Prompts are nice, and they allow you to some accomplish things that in GUIs would take multiple steps, but when I want to make simple movements like 2 or 3 files I use the GUI. It's one of the major things that's drawing mass media users into Linux in this day and age.
If you read Steven Levy's book "Hackers", though, you'll notice that nearly every technical decision (those that revolutionized the industry; for example, using the original Apple's CPU to do only half the graphics work necessary by "spinning" the pixels onto the screen) were made by Woz. Woz gets overappreciated sometimes but it's hard to argue with his results. He's a true hacker: one who loves taking apart and analysing machines for the fun of it. Jobs seems to provide only the marketing muscle.
(While I'm on the subject, let's go Offtopic for a while. Ever noticed that hackers today go to unnecessarily extraordinary lengths to break systems and construct ultra-secure systems for themselves? It wasn't always that way. Levy talks about the first timeshare machine, and how it was purposely designed so that every file on the "server" could be read by every "user". There were passwords, but only for the system to identify who you were. Otherwise it was like an open tape drawer: an invitation to view the works of your comrades, change them and make them better. My, has the hacker mentality changed.
And why shouldn't they? Easy creation schedules (the hardware never changes, no need to catch up during a product's construcion) and easy support paths make the console a dream. Plus, after licensing fees constructing a couple million GD-ROMs, with almost intrinsic copyright protection (until recently, noone could really break them) is a cinch.
According to some gaming magazines, PC gaming might be going the way of the dinosaur. Not too many actual hard facts, but it gets you thinking, with this much power and copyright protection on tap for the next generation of consoles, why wouldn't developers go that way?
The problem with the newer releases of Mozilla, and several versions of Netscape up until 4.0, is that malformed HTML causes the browser to come crashing down. It shouldn't do this. Render the page incorrectly if necessary, but no simple error in HTML should wreck the parser to the point of crashing.
Does this version allow that great hack which allows you to view other people's drive contents?
I'd venture to argue that Mozilla is a bug-ridden and bad-enough browser as it is.
- Clapper
- ToasterPPC
- Christmas lights
- Vibrating bed by Debian (supporting multiple concurrent processes for menage a trois)
- Scissors
- Marv Albert's toupee
I like the "over multiple servers" approach for handling files (as CNet describes, like a Jigsaw puzzle). Do any other networks function like this?
I'm on the Win2K side of my machine right now, so I think I'll use Windows Media player. I find it cleaner anyway, and I don't want every clip I view to be sent to Real (that's all I needed, IBM ads in my RealPlayer in Linux).
Begs a question though: if there's no search feature, than the long URLs are going to have to be placed on normal web servers. Doesn't this defeat the security?
Fervent wonders why his original thread about the M100 could be considered "Offtopic".
Although, I do admit, my Palm III cracked in a similar fashion to a few on this site, prompting me to buy a Palm IIIe.
It seems like the server is heading for the graveyard as well. :) (Got a 500 error a few times).
Skip winME and go to Win2K. In the 2K install you can choose to format to VFAT (2K can run on VFAT and NTFS5.) Simple.
(Although, I probably just shot myself in the foot by adding another message to the thread. : )
Why not run WinCE on this thing, or a pocket version of HP's Unix?
Wasn't Netscape the same browser that fell apart and crashed a few years ago when the HTML wasn't formatted (just right)?
Is there any version of an antialiased X-server out there that doesn't require massive recompilations (for us newbies who like Linux but can't even recompile the kernel)?
Plus, personal view, I think it kicks more ass. :) I returned my copy of Quake III Arena the minute I bought Unreal Tournament (and the CD came with a Win32 and Linux version both on the same disk, as opposed to Carmack's practices of packaging it separately).
Given another day or three and they might have released the code.
PDA would be built in, as well as basic digital TV reception over cellular. There would be no number keys; the device would recognize your phone number by voice. The whole thing would be Bluetooth enabled, so you could communicate with nearby devices without using cellular, improve transmissions on digital video transfers by polling nearby devices with better bandwidth and purchasing items like soda at vendor machines by simply waving the device in its direction and pressing a "purchase" button.
Lastly, there would be better security, so not anyone could pick up your "banana phone" and use it to make calls and purchases. Digital voice signatures plus a small PIN would be needed to operate the device.
I switched my main game machine to Windows 2000 after some pretty extensive testing (tried the games out, see if they worked -- if not, I planned on erasing the machine and reinstalling Win 98 SE), but everything went fine. I might be seeing a SLIGHT decrease in performance -- like 2-4%, but it's really not noticable at all. Besides, I would rather have a system that ran fine and wouldn't go down with a game's crash, than a system that ran just a smidge faster and fell apart at the seams.
Get a few multi-dicked girls in there and it would really be kinky. :)
Personally, I'd rather have a decrease in image-quality and full-surround views that OpenGL support on two monitors.