Why would it not be defensible? It's their forum on their website. They moderate it however they want. Aren't we in a free world or is the "free" only refers to customers, not to vendors?
I mean, if the product is crap, get it back, get a refund and be done with it! Why all the fuss?
So... I don't want to sound like an Apple fanboy, but nobody ever said that the Apple forums on Apple's website are a place of free speech, right? I haven't read the terms & conditions of course, but I'm pretty sure there is a clause allowing them to "moderate" according to whatever values they want. AFAIK, they don't censor all the forums on the web...
So how is this censorship?
I mean, it sounds reasonable to prevent my angry customers from displaying all their filth on the front of my shop doesn't it?
Also, I don't get the class actions lawsuits... You buy a product. It's crap. Now you sue the manufacturer? Where are we going with this? Can I sue the national lottery for not having won with the ticket they sold me?
In my world: You buy a product. It's crap. You get a refund and don't buy again from the company.
Well, they didn't get it then, there's no reason to think they'll get it now... And they are a software company. Their big issue is that they stop at "good enough" and ship it. You may or may not like Apple, but the thing is licked clean! Half of the 'standard features' are missing (much like the first iPhone) but the features that are there, man, are they usable!
With MS it is the exact opposite: Everything is there, in a huge mess of menus, configs, clicks, etc. But you can do everything. If you can figure out how to do it.
The magic sauce is called software. That's where all the other vendors have failed BIG TIME, thinking that beating whatever phone on raw specs and CPU cycles would be enough. But if your software sucks, then your product sucks, no matter how fucking gorgeous your phone may be.
It's a wonder no one thought of that one before Apple. It really is.
The thing is, outside geeks circles, nobody has ever heard of the HTC Diamond. What is the use of a great phone if you don't let people know you have one?
DPI in print has barely anything to do with dpi on an LCD screen. This is mostly because the 'D' doesn't represent the same thing.
On a screen, one 'D' is a pixel, which can take any color.
On a printer a 'P' is a dot of ink, which can generally take only one color, hence the need for dithering. The higher the resolution, the less you can see dithering. Now, I know color printing has evolved, but I think it is still true.
The point is that a complex JavaScript library is hard to maintain. You (or I) might not be able to maintain it at the pace you need to. The thing is that a Java library on the server side is much less dangerous, because you are never forced to upgrade. If it isn't compatible with your future app server you just replace it, rewrite a portion of it, etc... And you have all the time you need to test it out before release.
If the newest version of firefox isn't compatible with your JavaScript library, you HAVE to upgrade your library, whether you like it or not. And time is of the essence. The situation is not the same.
That's why IMHO a JavaScript library is very dangerous.
While I agree with you that the point is to get the best tool for the job, I think you got it backward.
Say for instance that you need to distribute an app to all of your dealers, none of them actually owned or managed by you
If they are not owned nor managed by me, the worst possible solution is to commit myself to one technology which I have no idea if they're equiped with. The best I can do is to cater for the lowest common denominator: Pure HTML+CSS+JS, retro compatible down to IE6. That way, I have a good confidence in the fact that they will see what I have to show.
As a general rule, if the job is to deliver an app to people I don't manage, then I cannot make any assumptions about the technology they have at hand.
Now on the other hand, if I am sure my users are under windows with an up-to-date system, then I can use Silverlight. If they all have Macs, I can cater to Safari. And when I have multiple choice, then I can find the best tool for the job.
If I have to serve all my partners, all my clients or any other group of people/companies that may change over time, IE6+/Safari is pretty much my only choice.
The idea that everything you do on the internet has to be available to every possible thing that can interface with said internet is absurd
Google pretty much does it. Is Google absurd? Not every app has to be about bells and whistle. HTML 3.2 and a good network pipe can do many many things.
Except when the library ceases to be maintained and then you have your entire stuff to write from scratch all over again.
To be really honest, writing HTML and JavaScript is not very complex. Even across browsers. That is, if you stop hiring script kiddies which have been playing with CSS for a few month and get their documentation from Google. People that know their stuff are the only answer IMO. You know, much like you hire a real architect when you want to build a house, you also need qualified staff when you need to write a web app.
The main point for me is that since I have uninstalled flash from my computer, my browser doesn't crash anymore. My scrollwheel always works, no matter where my mouse is on the screen. My TAB keyboard sequence isn't screwed up anytime the focus goes to an ad.
Granted, the problem is less painful with Chrome (one process per windows so flash doesn't crash the window, just the tab), but still!
Slashdot Mirror
... That once claimed that 1984 wouldn't be like 1984.
Was it?
Why would it not be defensible? It's their forum on their website. They moderate it however they want. Aren't we in a free world or is the "free" only refers to customers, not to vendors?
I mean, if the product is crap, get it back, get a refund and be done with it! Why all the fuss?
So... I don't want to sound like an Apple fanboy, but nobody ever said that the Apple forums on Apple's website are a place of free speech, right? I haven't read the terms & conditions of course, but I'm pretty sure there is a clause allowing them to "moderate" according to whatever values they want. AFAIK, they don't censor all the forums on the web...
So how is this censorship?
I mean, it sounds reasonable to prevent my angry customers from displaying all their filth on the front of my shop doesn't it?
Also, I don't get the class actions lawsuits... You buy a product. It's crap. Now you sue the manufacturer? Where are we going with this? Can I sue the national lottery for not having won with the ticket they sold me?
In my world: You buy a product. It's crap. You get a refund and don't buy again from the company.
Maybe it's me....
Well, they didn't get it then, there's no reason to think they'll get it now... And they are a software company. Their big issue is that they stop at "good enough" and ship it. You may or may not like Apple, but the thing is licked clean! Half of the 'standard features' are missing (much like the first iPhone) but the features that are there, man, are they usable!
With MS it is the exact opposite: Everything is there, in a huge mess of menus, configs, clicks, etc. But you can do everything. If you can figure out how to do it.
Scott Adams got it on his blog: http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/the_amazingness_of_instant/
What are you talking about?
He's responding to a post. Did you care to check?
Great, I'll just go and make my fork...
Make a spoon instead.
Standards aren't Variables don't.
Are you high?
The magic sauce is called software. That's where all the other vendors have failed BIG TIME, thinking that beating whatever phone on raw specs and CPU cycles would be enough. But if your software sucks, then your product sucks, no matter how fucking gorgeous your phone may be.
It's a wonder no one thought of that one before Apple. It really is.
The thing is, outside geeks circles, nobody has ever heard of the HTC Diamond. What is the use of a great phone if you don't let people know you have one?
DPI in print has barely anything to do with dpi on an LCD screen. This is mostly because the 'D' doesn't represent the same thing.
On a screen, one 'D' is a pixel, which can take any color.
On a printer a 'P' is a dot of ink, which can generally take only one color, hence the need for dithering. The higher the resolution, the less you can see dithering. Now, I know color printing has evolved, but I think it is still true.
despite my degree in computer science and specialisation in UI design
You are so far from their target, no wonder you don't get it. I wasn't made for people like you.
And do not mod me funny, I am being serious.
The point is that a complex JavaScript library is hard to maintain. You (or I) might not be able to maintain it at the pace you need to. The thing is that a Java library on the server side is much less dangerous, because you are never forced to upgrade. If it isn't compatible with your future app server you just replace it, rewrite a portion of it, etc... And you have all the time you need to test it out before release.
If the newest version of firefox isn't compatible with your JavaScript library, you HAVE to upgrade your library, whether you like it or not. And time is of the essence. The situation is not the same.
That's why IMHO a JavaScript library is very dangerous.
If every shitty piece of code written for the app makes the silent assumption that the paper size is US Letter, then it's going to be crazy, yes.
While I agree with you that the point is to get the best tool for the job, I think you got it backward.
Say for instance that you need to distribute an app to all of your dealers, none of them actually owned or managed by you
If they are not owned nor managed by me, the worst possible solution is to commit myself to one technology which I have no idea if they're equiped with. The best I can do is to cater for the lowest common denominator: Pure HTML+CSS+JS, retro compatible down to IE6. That way, I have a good confidence in the fact that they will see what I have to show.
As a general rule, if the job is to deliver an app to people I don't manage, then I cannot make any assumptions about the technology they have at hand.
Now on the other hand, if I am sure my users are under windows with an up-to-date system, then I can use Silverlight. If they all have Macs, I can cater to Safari. And when I have multiple choice, then I can find the best tool for the job.
If I have to serve all my partners, all my clients or any other group of people/companies that may change over time, IE6+/Safari is pretty much my only choice.
The idea that everything you do on the internet has to be available to every possible thing that can interface with said internet is absurd
Google pretty much does it. Is Google absurd?
Not every app has to be about bells and whistle. HTML 3.2 and a good network pipe can do many many things.
Except when the library ceases to be maintained and then you have your entire stuff to write from scratch all over again.
To be really honest, writing HTML and JavaScript is not very complex. Even across browsers. That is, if you stop hiring script kiddies which have been playing with CSS for a few month and get their documentation from Google. People that know their stuff are the only answer IMO. You know, much like you hire a real architect when you want to build a house, you also need qualified staff when you need to write a web app.
You never target foreign customers, until you do. Then it's too late.
What are you smoking? The whole point of the web is that it can run on almost every platform out there. Phones, web tvs, Linux boxes, PCs, etc...
Silverlight, as nice as it may be, will never be able to compete on that front. Look at where flash is today.
As you say, if you absolutely must have it run in a browser, write it in HTML/js/css. That's what browsers understand.
Don't equate the web with a codec. As for performances, HTML5 is still in its infancy.
Uhm, wait a second, this is Slashdot, we aren't supposed to talk about how we meet lovely women and sleep with them
What is this "women" thing of which you speak?
Since this is Slashdot I'm going to guess it's a new linux distro. Perhaps it's out of beta by now too!
That was my thought too, but why would you sleep with your linux distro ?
Smoother than flash? Shocking!
You really think their margin comes from the price of the SDK?
Wow. It sounds great. No wonder other tablets didn't catch up. If everything is designed like this it must be a heck of an experience!
The main point for me is that since I have uninstalled flash from my computer, my browser doesn't crash anymore. My scrollwheel always works, no matter where my mouse is on the screen. My TAB keyboard sequence isn't screwed up anytime the focus goes to an ad.
Granted, the problem is less painful with Chrome (one process per windows so flash doesn't crash the window, just the tab), but still!
Great for you. You know what they say: Different tools for different people.
Try hanging out with adults then.
Quite complicated when you live in different continents.