I'd be more likely to guess that normal computers simply got boring, and he turned his attention to portable devices. Why would a really creative mind stick to polishing the same product over and over again?
That depends. Is it in my job description? No one is forcing you to accept a job you don't want.
The only thing that degrades hookers is people's attitudes towards them, and the exploitation that we allow to happen because we push prostitution underground.
By the way I never bought the "they sell their bodies and that's wrong" argument. I'm selling my body right now, to the corporation. For 9-10 hours a day I am selling myself as a temporary slave to their whims. So there's no real difference.
Tell that to the Icelanders. I can't believe a law like that got passed in Northern Europe in the year 2010. It may seem like a minor detail from a small island, but I am appalled.
But NFC can exchange arbitrary data. With proper encryption, you don't need to care if someone's eavesdropping, unlike RFID. NFC credit cards could be even more secure than chip cards if the phone and the receiver both use the internet to verify each transaction with the bank and only use NFC to coordinate with each other.
Agreed about the car key. But I could live with my employer's keys being electronic. In fact, they already are, but I'm carrying around an extra item instead of using my phone.
Reducing the whole thing to door locks is misleading. NFC is about replacing everything you carry with you: keys (I'd keep my home key physical), credit cards, bus passes etc. Remove all that from your pocket, and you've already made a significant difference, "excessive" technology be damned. NFC isn't really any more fundamentally flawed than the current stripe/chip system as long as decent encryption is used.
But none of this tech is new. If you want to go all conspiracy theorist, it may have remained obscure because existing payment processing companies think it's a threat and refuse to support it.
You're going to spend an awful lot of money on professional help if you call for service every time your washing machine's filter gets clogged, your hammer gets greasy, or your new car's knobs are in different places.
Somehow, we're expected to handle all of those alone, but god forbid your monitor's cable detaches, your browser slows down due to 10 "helpful" toolbars you installed, or your IT department wants to get a new office suite. Then we're all endlessly lectured about how not everyone can be a programmer.
People will never learn if we keep making excuses for their behavior just to make them feel better. The cold truth is that anyone with basic intelligence should be able to cope with my examples, but they don't, because social reinforcement tells them it's ok to not use your brain when dealing with computers.
I know users whose definition of unexpected is that they have to copy text from a program they've never used before. You couldn't handle that with a script, but how these people have a job not requiring a broom is an eternal mystery.
I don't think UI designers should try to pander to them either, because it will make programs unbearable for everyone else.
Basing your math on T-Mobile's discount is completely misleading. They're still not removing the whole subsidy cost. The price of $599 you quoted is about right, and that's how much you should save by bringing your own phone. The networks are still trying to make lockin seem like the best deal.
I can already foresee one of them: "avert consumer confusion by only allowing our cartel's app store on our networks, blocking Apple, Android and Ovi".
When will the governments finally step in and force these mafias to work like ISPs?
The whole point of switching to Qt is that porting is often as easy as recompiling, and both are very similar Linux distributions. I don't think what you fear is that likely, especially since you can already write Qt apps even for Maemo 5.
That's misrepresenting it completely. Even though the recommended API is Qt and most people will stick to poking, Maemo's Debian base makes everything be where expected when users are in the terminal. For developers, being based on a real Linux distro means that any programming language works, and screw the SDK. A better analogy would be like the engine in your car, but certainly not like Microsoft and standards. Most people don't know how it works, but it's there, and it's important.
Can you treat your router as if it were running a lightweight Linux? Yes. (I'm assuming you can ssh to them, right? I don't have one.) Can you treat your iPhone as if it were running a lightweight OSX? No.
Saying "it just has a different UI" is being very generous, when absolutely nothing about the functionality is the same. The iPhone apps might as well run on top of BeOS. It's nice for Apple that they can reuse the system code, but nothing any user would understand as OSX is running on an iPhone.
I agree. As long as the phone doesn't do almost anything that desktop OSX could provide, it doesn't matter one iota whether the iPhone runs on XNU, Linux or EKA2. Any claims otherwise are just marketing BS.
The "just don't buy it retort" doesn't hold any water in my eyes. It's not even only misinformed consumers' benefit that's at stake. 10 years from now, do you want your Free OS being an island of its own that no one tries to be compatible with, because closed platforms represent 99% of the market?
The other side has their advertising, and we have the FSF. Now all we need is proper awareness of real alternatives.
AFAIK the Maemo browser will not run java applets, but Iceweasel will.
A bank's java applet doesn't have to be nefarious per se, but in the case of a bank site it shows such poor design vs. plain html that you should expect other things to be wrong too. Also, read this.
I don't think you understand. It's the Debian *setup tool* that's alpha quality. What it installs is 100% Debian quality, with the full Debian repos available. After it's done, you use synaptic or apt-get. In fact, apt is how you install Maemo software too.
There are two major showstoppers left: some GUI programs don't get keyboard input, and PulseAudio doesn't work as it should. Once that's patched on the N900, I'm sure the installer will be in the main repo within weeks.
If you still insist on Ubuntu, you can probably replace the Debian image with an Ubuntu image you've made yourself without much trouble.
And I'm not trying to sell you anything. You complained about not getting what you want, and I'm trying to tell you about my experiences with the N900.
Why the insistence on Ubuntu? There's already a Debian installer in Maemo's alpha quality repo, and I don't understand why that wouldn't be good enough.
Only problem is you'll have to install it under Maemo rather than replace it due to driver issues, but then again neither Debian or Ubuntu have mobile phone UI's, so...
If you're referring to the iPhone, the market has shown that it's nowhere near top market share. In fact, with Symbian, Android and Maemo, over half of 2010 smartphone production will be open or opening source.
WTF, are we winning?
Remember to vote with your wallet and demand root access.
If my phone had a USB host port, I could do all of the things you mentioned, and it runs Maemo + ARM Debian. Nasty corporate software excluded - and we'll all be better off if those guys are forced to modify their crap.
Might I also suggest that you don't switch to a bank with a website that wants to run binaries on your computer. For your own good.
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I'd be more likely to guess that normal computers simply got boring, and he turned his attention to portable devices. Why would a really creative mind stick to polishing the same product over and over again?
Yes, we should all declare war on pollution.
That depends. Is it in my job description? No one is forcing you to accept a job you don't want.
The only thing that degrades hookers is people's attitudes towards them, and the exploitation that we allow to happen because we push prostitution underground.
By the way I never bought the "they sell their bodies and that's wrong" argument. I'm selling my body right now, to the corporation. For 9-10 hours a day I am selling myself as a temporary slave to their whims. So there's no real difference.
Tell that to the Icelanders. I can't believe a law like that got passed in Northern Europe in the year 2010. It may seem like a minor detail from a small island, but I am appalled.
I tell users they're stupid all the time. Then they start shouting at me and I kill them.
But NFC can exchange arbitrary data. With proper encryption, you don't need to care if someone's eavesdropping, unlike RFID. NFC credit cards could be even more secure than chip cards if the phone and the receiver both use the internet to verify each transaction with the bank and only use NFC to coordinate with each other.
Agreed about the car key. But I could live with my employer's keys being electronic. In fact, they already are, but I'm carrying around an extra item instead of using my phone.
Reducing the whole thing to door locks is misleading. NFC is about replacing everything you carry with you: keys (I'd keep my home key physical), credit cards, bus passes etc. Remove all that from your pocket, and you've already made a significant difference, "excessive" technology be damned. NFC isn't really any more fundamentally flawed than the current stripe/chip system as long as decent encryption is used.
But none of this tech is new. If you want to go all conspiracy theorist, it may have remained obscure because existing payment processing companies think it's a threat and refuse to support it.
You're going to spend an awful lot of money on professional help if you call for service every time your washing machine's filter gets clogged, your hammer gets greasy, or your new car's knobs are in different places.
Somehow, we're expected to handle all of those alone, but god forbid your monitor's cable detaches, your browser slows down due to 10 "helpful" toolbars you installed, or your IT department wants to get a new office suite. Then we're all endlessly lectured about how not everyone can be a programmer.
People will never learn if we keep making excuses for their behavior just to make them feel better. The cold truth is that anyone with basic intelligence should be able to cope with my examples, but they don't, because social reinforcement tells them it's ok to not use your brain when dealing with computers.
I know users whose definition of unexpected is that they have to copy text from a program they've never used before. You couldn't handle that with a script, but how these people have a job not requiring a broom is an eternal mystery.
I don't think UI designers should try to pander to them either, because it will make programs unbearable for everyone else.
Basing your math on T-Mobile's discount is completely misleading. They're still not removing the whole subsidy cost. The price of $599 you quoted is about right, and that's how much you should save by bringing your own phone. The networks are still trying to make lockin seem like the best deal.
I can already foresee one of them: "avert consumer confusion by only allowing our cartel's app store on our networks, blocking Apple, Android and Ovi".
When will the governments finally step in and force these mafias to work like ISPs?
The whole point of switching to Qt is that porting is often as easy as recompiling, and both are very similar Linux distributions. I don't think what you fear is that likely, especially since you can already write Qt apps even for Maemo 5.
That's misrepresenting it completely. Even though the recommended API is Qt and most people will stick to poking, Maemo's Debian base makes everything be where expected when users are in the terminal. For developers, being based on a real Linux distro means that any programming language works, and screw the SDK. A better analogy would be like the engine in your car, but certainly not like Microsoft and standards. Most people don't know how it works, but it's there, and it's important.
A stupid name is a prerequisite for being a successful FOSS product. Nokia and Intel have clearly done their homework.
Also indicating huge potential, MeeGo has already ignited a flamewar between RPM and DEB supporters. Welcome to the community!
I refuse to count jailbroken devices. If you have to hack the router in order to get to it, then it's pointless to advertise it as running Linux.
Can you treat your router as if it were running a lightweight Linux? Yes. (I'm assuming you can ssh to them, right? I don't have one.)
Can you treat your iPhone as if it were running a lightweight OSX? No.
Saying "it just has a different UI" is being very generous, when absolutely nothing about the functionality is the same. The iPhone apps might as well run on top of BeOS. It's nice for Apple that they can reuse the system code, but nothing any user would understand as OSX is running on an iPhone.
What do you object to in /etc/sudoers? I looked at it, but it was so long I didn't bother checking everything.
I agree. As long as the phone doesn't do almost anything that desktop OSX could provide, it doesn't matter one iota whether the iPhone runs on XNU, Linux or EKA2. Any claims otherwise are just marketing BS.
The N900 has the best out-of-the-box application support*. Look under Menu/Application Manager to find Easy Debian ;)
*Technically correct. The best kind of correct.
The "just don't buy it retort" doesn't hold any water in my eyes. It's not even only misinformed consumers' benefit that's at stake. 10 years from now, do you want your Free OS being an island of its own that no one tries to be compatible with, because closed platforms represent 99% of the market?
The other side has their advertising, and we have the FSF. Now all we need is proper awareness of real alternatives.
AFAIK the Maemo browser will not run java applets, but Iceweasel will.
A bank's java applet doesn't have to be nefarious per se, but in the case of a bank site it shows such poor design vs. plain html that you should expect other things to be wrong too. Also, read this.
I don't think you understand. It's the Debian *setup tool* that's alpha quality. What it installs is 100% Debian quality, with the full Debian repos available. After it's done, you use synaptic or apt-get. In fact, apt is how you install Maemo software too.
There are two major showstoppers left: some GUI programs don't get keyboard input, and PulseAudio doesn't work as it should. Once that's patched on the N900, I'm sure the installer will be in the main repo within weeks.
If you still insist on Ubuntu, you can probably replace the Debian image with an Ubuntu image you've made yourself without much trouble.
And I'm not trying to sell you anything. You complained about not getting what you want, and I'm trying to tell you about my experiences with the N900.
Why the insistence on Ubuntu? There's already a Debian installer in Maemo's alpha quality repo, and I don't understand why that wouldn't be good enough.
Only problem is you'll have to install it under Maemo rather than replace it due to driver issues, but then again neither Debian or Ubuntu have mobile phone UI's, so...
If you're referring to the iPhone, the market has shown that it's nowhere near top market share. In fact, with Symbian, Android and Maemo, over half of 2010 smartphone production will be open or opening source.
WTF, are we winning?
Remember to vote with your wallet and demand root access.
If my phone had a USB host port, I could do all of the things you mentioned, and it runs Maemo + ARM Debian. Nasty corporate software excluded - and we'll all be better off if those guys are forced to modify their crap.
Might I also suggest that you don't switch to a bank with a website that wants to run binaries on your computer. For your own good.