I'm asking... maybe it already exists. But it seems to me that one of the biggest hurdles in consumer electronics is that everyone wants a computer the size of a writswatch that somehow magically has a 21" flatscreen. Thus you see Apple producing laptops with both 12" and 17" screens.
Now one way to deal with the problem is to display to goggles/glasses. But that certainly has limits. Especially when cool embeded applications like the above are being developed.
[dream] It seems like the ideal would be something that looks and feels much like a piece of paper (but less rippable). Fold/roll it up and put it in your pocket. Then unfold it and have a nice big surface you can view, touch, write-on, etc.
Even more ideally, this tech would be embedded in such a way that you could mass-produce pieces of v-paper for cheap. So you'd use it like paper, but it would have full color display and internet connectivity. [/dream]
If people are using P2P to steal music as you put it, then how come there aren't very many games there? It's not the file size, DVD's get traded way more than games do. So what's the deal?
I actually agree with you mostly. I use the word "steal" because legally, that's probably the right term for it... even if it isn't ethically.
IMO, the reason people "steal" music is because CDs cost ~$17 (because the RIAA is too greedy). It is difficult to steal music. Each step of the process is pretty annoying and complicated. But it's worth it compared to the high price of CDs.
If CDs cost $5, people wouldn't steal music. It wouldn't be worth the trouble.
The expensive price of CDs is effectively lowered by all the stealing. They can keep the price high and see stealing grow and grow, or they can charge a fair price.
As more people steal music (or in their opinions stop paying outrageous prices for music without any money going to the artists), their power will diminish.
Let's see how much people listen to them when they have no money and no influence.
Personally, what I'd prefer to either of these solutions is a key-combination that would pop up a list of open windows with name, site, %loaded, if it is still loading, etc.. It would allow arrow navigation to select, close or refresh. Yes, that's pretty radical, but I do find the window menu limiting. I just don't want ten tabs that would either shrink to unreadable or use up way too much real estate on my monitor.
Actually, this is pretty easy to envision in a tabbed interface.
Right now, Safari has a blue bar that fills up in the same space as the address bar. So you can lolok in one place to see what's loading and how far it has loaded. with tabs, you could just have the tab fill up with a blue bar. There, problem solved.
This is developers./....anyone wanna do that?;-)
P.S. BTW, in Chimera, the tabs currently say "Loading..." then switch to the title when loaded. Thoght that feature seems a little buggy.
I run the computers of a Mac-based company. We use Microsoft Explorer, Entourage, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
The great majority of our support resources go to dealing with endless stream of problems caused by crappy Microsoft programming.
As our company moves to OS X, we're investigating the possibility of completely freeing ourselves of all Microsoft products.
Apple has already obviated the need for Entourage (with iCal, Mail (which still needs a bit of help) and Addressbook). They've now made something that kicks IE's butt. And lest ye forget, they also made Keynote, which kicks PowerPoint's ass.
So that just leaves Word and Excel. There are now several offerings in the wings that may replace these. The best hope is OpenOffice, but unfortunately the OS X project is going a little slowly. But word is that Apple is working on a complete re-work of AppleWorks. Then there's also Thinkfree Office, Mariner, and RagTime. But I'm hoping that Apple will provide the whole solution.
It could be that Apple is trying to kill off all dependence on MS crap. Oh, how wonderful that would be.
Then consider that they're also replacing expensive MS-based servers with very inexpensive OS X Server (unlimited users, and it's free with purchase of Xserve, or free as open-source Darwin code), which has very robust unix services combined with easy-to-use admin tools.
Apple is challenging MS on ALL fronts. Won't that be a surprise when major enterprises realize that they can save millions of dollars every year by using a single-source hardware vendor. Afterall, MS is a singlesource software vendor. Better to SS the hardware, where Apple makes top-rated products, and use open-source softweare.
Indeed, I just opened each response to this thread in a separate tab (Command-Shift-Click to load a new tab in background). developers.slashdot.org is loading really slowly for me right now, so this allowed them all to load at their own pace, and I could tab through them at MY own pace.
Using tabs opens up whole new experiences, if you're willing to just slightly adjust your behavior (like hitting command-T for new tab, instead of Command-N for new window). I spend WAY less time waiting for pages to load now. And way less time looking for the right window. They're all right in front of me, with nice favicon.ico images to differentiate the sites. And I can maximize the browser window, because I'm no longer worried about trying to cascade my windows in such a way that I can see pieces of five different ones at the same time.
Tabs changed my life! Well, they made web browsing a lot more enjoyable, anyway.
Saying 'Mac users are especially prone to want tabbed browsing' is self-based presumption. Many people are perfectly comfortable with the 1-window, 1-site tree(or whatever you want to call it) approach. Command-~ cycles through windows. What more is needed? Is clicking on tabs that may move if the window moves really that much easier than clicking on the Windows menu?
Indeed only some will agree with me, but my point was that Mac users who would prefer such a thing can't get it from the OS, so would appreciate it in a browser. Just like many, many Mac users go out and buy a 2-button scroll-wheel mouse, even though it is totally unnecessary... it's just a heck of a lot nicer, IMO.
I've requested that Apple add tabs, but also doubt they'll go for it. Apple is into creating the simplest/cleanest interface thay can make that is still usable. OTOH, Apple was one of the first big boys to use tabs to organize their own web site. And a very nice job they did, too.
Macpolls suggests that a lot are switching. Then again, it's not scientific or anything, but it currently shows 72% of respondants saying they will switch
And of course, one can assume that soon Safari will be the default browser with OS X, with IE being relegated to an also-installed, or hopefully totally gone.
P.S. Found that link on MacRumors. I changed the ?ref= for them to show Slashdot traffic.
Windows users are used to seeing all open windows in the startbar (or whatever you call it). Mac OS X users now have the lovely dock, but it shows running apps and minimized windows... not all windows.
So Mac users are especially prone to want tabbed browsing, as Mozilla products offer.
I started using Chimera a few days before Safari beta was released. I really like Safari, but in just those few days I was utterly hooked by the tabs of Chimera.
Until Safari supports tabs, I'm sticking with Chimera. I doubt I'm alone.
One thing to note, though... ALL Mac browsers now kick Microsoft's ass. Bye, bye IE-piece-of-crap. In any event, it is an awesome twist to see the Mac browser market so vitalized.
What's up with the scores on these posts? My original went from 1 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 2. Interesting. And the final scores seem to be settling on the whole keyboard-being-learned issue.
The above post makes the real point though... everyone has to learn to write. The joy of handwriting recognition is NOT having to learn another language/technique/etc..
Yes, handwriting is learned, but let's limit the number of languages we have to learn, OK?
Your argument assumes that writing by hand is some sort of natural act. It isn't. You had to learn it.
Sorry if that's what I conveyed. I don't mean that handwriting is natural... only that it is already known. Garffiti requires one to learn another language, instead of using one that one already (presumably) knows.
The joy of handwriting recognition is that you don't even have to learn how to type. But that advantage is killed if you instead have to learn two different kinds of handwriting for two applications (one for humans and one solely for Palms).
So basically, even though you read Slashdot you still don't know how to type and are thus an utter moron?
Yep, though I'm not sure these various phrases all necessarily follow one from the other.
It takes no typing ability to read Slashdot.
I've been using computers since the TRS-80, and never did bother to figure out how to type. For that, I suppose you could call me a moron, though I type about 50 wpm.
But the most important point, as has been made by others in this thread, is that you don't HAVE to know how to type to use a keyboard. All the letters are right there in front of you. Just press the one you want. To use Graffiti, you have to look up the letters in the reference, then properly draw some non-intuitive scribble.
As I said, Palm can do whatever the heck they want, but genuine handwriting recognition exists, and it's a little hard to believe that they are still going to forego it in favor of making their customers learn yet another language.
Apple products don't exactly work for humans either unless you're a clueless newbie.
Guess that's a matter of opinion. I'm a long-time Mac systems admin, and absolutely love OS X. It's so much easier to use once you unlearn all the BS you had to learn with other OSes.
It is simplistic in that Apple gives one very few preferences for anything. But the amazing thing is that they choose such a good default set that I rarely miss any supposed options. And if one can't live without them, then of course, absolutely anything can be changed in the CLI.
Anyway, this is really off-topic. The handwriting in OS X is really nice. I tried it with a Wacom tablet, and it... well, it works.
Oh, and there's the little issue of the number of things Joe Consumer can learn.
Palm can do whatever they want... but if they would like to make money, they might be better served by not making their customers learn yet another language.
An excellent point... but my point's still valid. I hate typing into a computer, and no, I still don't know how to type (not ASDF, anyway).
The point it, if the computer can recognize handwriting, why not recognize ENGLISH handwriting instead of a computer language that's really close to English.
That's the point that's stupid. Yes, I'm sure that it is easier to interpret if the letters are better differentiated, but hey... Apple could do it. What's Palm's problem?
Whenever humans have to train themselves to adapt to a computer UI, this is an example of poor design.
When *consumers* have to learn a new language just to be able to use a consumer device, that's just downright brain-damaged.
And don't tell me computers can't recognize handwriting. The ortiginal PDA, Apple's overpriced Newton, could not only read plain handwriting, it could interpret it. You would scribble: "Meet with Bob Friday" and it would find all the Bobs in your addressbook, ask which one you want, and confirm that you meen the next forthcoming Friday.
Years later the Palm can't even read plain ol text?
Oh, and Mac OS X 10.2 can read plain handwriting too. What is it about non-Apple products that make them so incapable of working for humans, instead preferring making humans work for them?
One would think that by now somebody would have figured out a way to do it for a consumer-priced device.
For example, here's an example of how much money just one communications company gave to both parties in the year this legislation was worked on (97-98). Have a look at what AT&T gave.
I'm just guessing here, but I'm gonna take a wild stab and suppose that that legislation was sponsored by the monster cable, music, etc. companies. Am I right? In many cases, it is the lobbyists who actually write the legislation, then get one of the legislators they own to sponsor it in Congress.
Why would it be surprising that the little innovators would find a new monster-sponsored law to be hindering their ability to compete with those monsters?
If you really want to help out with this situation (and many, many of the other problems in the U.S. government) then don't vote for good ol' boys who are owned by their campaign contributers. In other words, don't vote for Democrats and don't vote for Republicans. As long as everyone keeps voting for these two sides of the same coin, big money is going to continue to control Congress. And thus, the interests of big money are going to continue to win over the interest of the general public.
That one ain't rocket science. The only Democrats or Republicans I would ever vote for are ones that explicitly campaign against the current system of bribery through campaign contributions. Otherwise, all my votes go to the few 3rd party candidates that aren't whackos. And if you think that all 3rd party candidates are loonies, then: 1. Look closer, some of them are genuinely smart, responsible, good people trying to serve their community. They don't get any press coverage explicitly because they don't raise enough money, but they still exist. You owe it to yourself and your community to spend a few minutes researching. Or... 2. Run for office yourself. If all you see besides the good ol' boys are some crazed morons, then put your own name in the hat. Somebody has to change something, or we're all screwed.
Slashdot Mirror
And emulation capability out the wazoo too.
Now if what you're asking for is a PC that acts like a Mac; just wait 5-10 years and they ought to be up to the standards of today's PowerBook. ;-P
Damn tower keeps falling off when I crank up the bass!
I'm asking... maybe it already exists. But it seems to me that one of the biggest hurdles in consumer electronics is that everyone wants a computer the size of a writswatch that somehow magically has a 21" flatscreen. Thus you see Apple producing laptops with both 12" and 17" screens.
Now one way to deal with the problem is to display to goggles/glasses. But that certainly has limits. Especially when cool embeded applications like the above are being developed.
[dream]
It seems like the ideal would be something that looks and feels much like a piece of paper (but less rippable). Fold/roll it up and put it in your pocket. Then unfold it and have a nice big surface you can view, touch, write-on, etc.
Even more ideally, this tech would be embedded in such a way that you could mass-produce pieces of v-paper for cheap. So you'd use it like paper, but it would have full color display and internet connectivity.
[/dream]
PayPal will be fine.
I never got fp
I actually agree with you mostly. I use the word "steal" because legally, that's probably the right term for it... even if it isn't ethically.
IMO, the reason people "steal" music is because CDs cost ~$17 (because the RIAA is too greedy). It is difficult to steal music. Each step of the process is pretty annoying and complicated. But it's worth it compared to the high price of CDs.
If CDs cost $5, people wouldn't steal music. It wouldn't be worth the trouble.
The expensive price of CDs is effectively lowered by all the stealing. They can keep the price high and see stealing grow and grow, or they can charge a fair price.
...Branson, Missorui... where the stars go to die.
As more people steal music (or in their opinions stop paying outrageous prices for music without any money going to the artists), their power will diminish.
Let's see how much people listen to them when they have no money and no influence.
Actually, this is pretty easy to envision in a tabbed interface.
Right now, Safari has a blue bar that fills up in the same space as the address bar. So you can lolok in one place to see what's loading and how far it has loaded. with tabs, you could just have the tab fill up with a blue bar. There, problem solved.
This is developers./. ...anyone wanna do that? ;-)
P.S. BTW, in Chimera, the tabs currently say "Loading..." then switch to the title when loaded. Thoght that feature seems a little buggy.
I run the computers of a Mac-based company. We use Microsoft Explorer, Entourage, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
The great majority of our support resources go to dealing with endless stream of problems caused by crappy Microsoft programming.
As our company moves to OS X, we're investigating the possibility of completely freeing ourselves of all Microsoft products.
Apple has already obviated the need for Entourage (with iCal, Mail (which still needs a bit of help) and Addressbook). They've now made something that kicks IE's butt. And lest ye forget, they also made Keynote, which kicks PowerPoint's ass.
So that just leaves Word and Excel. There are now several offerings in the wings that may replace these. The best hope is OpenOffice, but unfortunately the OS X project is going a little slowly. But word is that Apple is working on a complete re-work of AppleWorks. Then there's also Thinkfree Office, Mariner, and RagTime. But I'm hoping that Apple will provide the whole solution.
It could be that Apple is trying to kill off all dependence on MS crap. Oh, how wonderful that would be.
Then consider that they're also replacing expensive MS-based servers with very inexpensive OS X Server (unlimited users, and it's free with purchase of Xserve, or free as open-source Darwin code), which has very robust unix services combined with easy-to-use admin tools.
Apple is challenging MS on ALL fronts. Won't that be a surprise when major enterprises realize that they can save millions of dollars every year by using a single-source hardware vendor. Afterall, MS is a singlesource software vendor. Better to SS the hardware, where Apple makes top-rated products, and use open-source softweare.
POAD, Microsoft!!!!
Indeed, I just opened each response to this thread in a separate tab (Command-Shift-Click to load a new tab in background). developers.slashdot.org is loading really slowly for me right now, so this allowed them all to load at their own pace, and I could tab through them at MY own pace.
Using tabs opens up whole new experiences, if you're willing to just slightly adjust your behavior (like hitting command-T for new tab, instead of Command-N for new window). I spend WAY less time waiting for pages to load now. And way less time looking for the right window. They're all right in front of me, with nice favicon.ico images to differentiate the sites. And I can maximize the browser window, because I'm no longer worried about trying to cascade my windows in such a way that I can see pieces of five different ones at the same time.
Tabs changed my life! Well, they made web browsing a lot more enjoyable, anyway.
Wait... the question is "Did you decide to switch to Safari?" and 15% are undecided.
Huh???
Indeed only some will agree with me, but my point was that Mac users who would prefer such a thing can't get it from the OS, so would appreciate it in a browser. Just like many, many Mac users go out and buy a 2-button scroll-wheel mouse, even though it is totally unnecessary... it's just a heck of a lot nicer, IMO.
I've requested that Apple add tabs, but also doubt they'll go for it. Apple is into creating the simplest/cleanest interface thay can make that is still usable. OTOH, Apple was one of the first big boys to use tabs to organize their own web site. And a very nice job they did, too.
And of course, one can assume that soon Safari will be the default browser with OS X, with IE being relegated to an also-installed, or hopefully totally gone.
P.S. Found that link on MacRumors. I changed the ?ref= for them to show Slashdot traffic.
So Mac users are especially prone to want tabbed browsing, as Mozilla products offer.
I started using Chimera a few days before Safari beta was released. I really like Safari, but in just those few days I was utterly hooked by the tabs of Chimera.
Until Safari supports tabs, I'm sticking with Chimera. I doubt I'm alone.
One thing to note, though... ALL Mac browsers now kick Microsoft's ass. Bye, bye IE-piece-of-crap. In any event, it is an awesome twist to see the Mac browser market so vitalized.
With voice recognition we could get down to just having to learn one language.
Is that being lazy or forward-thinking?
What's up with the scores on these posts? My original went from 1 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 2. Interesting. And the final scores seem to be settling on the whole keyboard-being-learned issue.
The above post makes the real point though... everyone has to learn to write. The joy of handwriting recognition is NOT having to learn another language/technique/etc..
Yes, handwriting is learned, but let's limit the number of languages we have to learn, OK?
Sorry if that's what I conveyed. I don't mean that handwriting is natural... only that it is already known. Garffiti requires one to learn another language, instead of using one that one already (presumably) knows.
The joy of handwriting recognition is that you don't even have to learn how to type. But that advantage is killed if you instead have to learn two different kinds of handwriting for two applications (one for humans and one solely for Palms).
Yep, though I'm not sure these various phrases all necessarily follow one from the other.
It takes no typing ability to read Slashdot.
I've been using computers since the TRS-80, and never did bother to figure out how to type. For that, I suppose you could call me a moron, though I type about 50 wpm.
But the most important point, as has been made by others in this thread, is that you don't HAVE to know how to type to use a keyboard. All the letters are right there in front of you. Just press the one you want. To use Graffiti, you have to look up the letters in the reference, then properly draw some non-intuitive scribble.
As I said, Palm can do whatever the heck they want, but genuine handwriting recognition exists, and it's a little hard to believe that they are still going to forego it in favor of making their customers learn yet another language.
Guess that's a matter of opinion. I'm a long-time Mac systems admin, and absolutely love OS X. It's so much easier to use once you unlearn all the BS you had to learn with other OSes.
It is simplistic in that Apple gives one very few preferences for anything. But the amazing thing is that they choose such a good default set that I rarely miss any supposed options. And if one can't live without them, then of course, absolutely anything can be changed in the CLI.
Anyway, this is really off-topic. The handwriting in OS X is really nice. I tried it with a Wacom tablet, and it... well, it works.
Oh, and there's the little issue of the number of things Joe Consumer can learn.
Palm can do whatever they want... but if they would like to make money, they might be better served by not making their customers learn yet another language.
Heck, some people have trouble with only one.
An excellent point... but my point's still valid. I hate typing into a computer, and no, I still don't know how to type (not ASDF, anyway).
The point it, if the computer can recognize handwriting, why not recognize ENGLISH handwriting instead of a computer language that's really close to English.
That's the point that's stupid. Yes, I'm sure that it is easier to interpret if the letters are better differentiated, but hey... Apple could do it. What's Palm's problem?
Whenever humans have to train themselves to adapt to a computer UI, this is an example of poor design.
When *consumers* have to learn a new language just to be able to use a consumer device, that's just downright brain-damaged.
And don't tell me computers can't recognize handwriting. The ortiginal PDA, Apple's overpriced Newton, could not only read plain handwriting, it could interpret it. You would scribble: "Meet with Bob Friday" and it would find all the Bobs in your addressbook, ask which one you want, and confirm that you meen the next forthcoming Friday.
Years later the Palm can't even read plain ol text?
Oh, and Mac OS X 10.2 can read plain handwriting too. What is it about non-Apple products that make them so incapable of working for humans, instead preferring making humans work for them?
One would think that by now somebody would have figured out a way to do it for a consumer-priced device.
Or go here to look up more on contributions.
I'm just guessing here, but I'm gonna take a wild stab and suppose that that legislation was sponsored by the monster cable, music, etc. companies. Am I right? In many cases, it is the lobbyists who actually write the legislation, then get one of the legislators they own to sponsor it in Congress.
Why would it be surprising that the little innovators would find a new monster-sponsored law to be hindering their ability to compete with those monsters?
If you really want to help out with this situation (and many, many of the other problems in the U.S. government) then don't vote for good ol' boys who are owned by their campaign contributers. In other words, don't vote for Democrats and don't vote for Republicans. As long as everyone keeps voting for these two sides of the same coin, big money is going to continue to control Congress. And thus, the interests of big money are going to continue to win over the interest of the general public.
That one ain't rocket science. The only Democrats or Republicans I would ever vote for are ones that explicitly campaign against the current system of bribery through campaign contributions. Otherwise, all my votes go to the few 3rd party candidates that aren't whackos. And if you think that all 3rd party candidates are loonies, then:
1. Look closer, some of them are genuinely smart, responsible, good people trying to serve their community. They don't get any press coverage explicitly because they don't raise enough money, but they still exist. You owe it to yourself and your community to spend a few minutes researching. Or...
2. Run for office yourself. If all you see besides the good ol' boys are some crazed morons, then put your own name in the hat. Somebody has to change something, or we're all screwed.