Just to pick one feature at random: The ability to customise the look of text styles? What if I want to change the font of all headings?
Another one, for bonus sake: Can I do pivot tables in the web-based version of Excel?
Well, if you actually tried it you will see that the Web version is so feature-limited that it might just as well not even exist. I think the original release of Google Docs was more feature-complete than Skydrive Word, and that's saying a lot.
There is an open API. This API has been around forever, since it's the same as Google Docs. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a client already exists (I'm too lazy to google for it right now).
Indeed, Korea really loves their activex. It's so bad that you really can't use the Korean Internet without activex.
One example: try to even see the front page of one of Koreas major banks without ie: www.kdb.co.kr
Wow. Given how much I hate Python's syntax, I never thought I'd see myself typing this: Python's forced indentation is not as bad as Fortran's actually.
Fortran (and COBOL) has traditionally designated different behaviour to different columns. A character in a specific column has a different meaning than if the same character is in a different column. A variable-width font in that situation is completely unmanageable.
Nowdays, both Fortran and COBOL has changed this stupid design and you are now allowed to indent any way you want. If only Python could grow up too...
The Intent system is what makes Android so powerful. If I have an application that wants to sent a twitter message, it can send an Intent with a request to do so. This Intent can be picked up by any of the applicaitons you have installed, so that the developer not only doesn't need to develop twitter functionality, the user can also choose to use whichever twitter application he wants, and it'll still integrate perfectly.
In case you were wondering, if more than one app is prepared to handle an Intent, the user gets an option to choose withich one should be used, and can store that as a default for the future.
Everything uses Intents, even basic functions such as sending an SMS, which is why alternate SMS applications works completely transparently. Another Intent is the one that displays the main "desktop". Again, no need to be limited to the default desktop application.
Just because no other mobile OS'es gets this right, doesn't mean that Android is wrong.
And is still fine for mobile devices almost 40 years later.
Imagine that, a software design decsision that worked. It's almost like the people who designed Unix were smart guys who knew what they were doing. Who would have though it?
Well, at least in my country of origin, most mopeds don't have pedals, and that doesn't just apply to the legal definition, but also what people use in common day-to-day speech.
I think this is a case where the definition of the word has been extended over time, and there's nothing wrong with that. Wikipedia seems to agree with me too:
Traditionally, mopeds are equipped with bicycle-like pedals (the source of the term, motor-pedal), but moped is sometimes applied by governments to vehicles without pedals, based on their similar engine displacement, speed, and/or power output.
Having spent much time in urban India, I don't see the need for a motorcycle to be able to reach speeds in excess of 64 km/h. Most of your time is spent weaving through gridlocked cars.
Even going on the freeway in a car is not a high-speed endeavour. There are just too many vehicles and people.
I can see this vehicle to be a perfect option for a lot of people.
I came into this story knowing that within the first 5 comments I would be able to find that very one. Sure enough, number 5 was it and I was as surprised as you that it wasn't the first one.
I'm not so sure you can call the unavailability of a single phone for "all hell breaking loose". Also, several countroes in Europe sell even the iphone unlocked, since they have to by law.
Obviously you don't have one. You can get pretty much everything running from the terminal if you want, as long as you install things like busybox.
I find it to be a good compromise, and I'm actually happy that they don't include commandline tools that I won't need by default. If I need them, I can always install them.
I have a HTC Dream developer unit and I have to admit that even though I've hacked around quite a bit with it, I never felt the need to have stuff like Perl on it. Perhaps that's why Android is suceeding where OpenMoko failed. Android is a very good phone system that happens to be open and hackable. The OpenMoko devices is a linux system crammed into something where it doesn't fit.
Then there is the problem that OpenMoko just looks silly...
The Apple II was never big in Europe. The above-mentioned machines were much bigger back then. In fact, even though I was raised with computers during that time, I have never actually seen an Apple II in real life. The others, however, are very familiar to me.
Not really "tool based" programming like the unix stuff that was mentionned...but for example where I work, they combine languages. Our.NET stuff will be a mix of raw intel assembly, managed C++, C#, and F# for the algorithms.
Definitely. You also work in a shop where all kinds of different operating systems are supported and used. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2008... See?
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Just to pick one feature at random: The ability to customise the look of text styles? What if I want to change the font of all headings? Another one, for bonus sake: Can I do pivot tables in the web-based version of Excel?
Well, if you actually tried it you will see that the Web version is so feature-limited that it might just as well not even exist. I think the original release of Google Docs was more feature-complete than Skydrive Word, and that's saying a lot.
Most people have no access to Netflix anyway since it's a US-only thing.
Actually, that would be 16 EB. You were off by 4 orders of magnitude.
Bing, that integrates with Facebook, who are the champions of privacy, of course.
There is an open API. This API has been around forever, since it's the same as Google Docs. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a client already exists (I'm too lazy to google for it right now).
I also doesn't reproduce Shakespeare in its original Klingon...
Last I looked the i-devices were unable to sync without a proprietary application that only works on Windows or OSX.
No Gruber, it makes you a fanboy.
Indeed, Korea really loves their activex. It's so bad that you really can't use the Korean Internet without activex. One example: try to even see the front page of one of Koreas major banks without ie: www.kdb.co.kr
Fortran (and COBOL) has traditionally designated different behaviour to different columns. A character in a specific column has a different meaning than if the same character is in a different column. A variable-width font in that situation is completely unmanageable.
Nowdays, both Fortran and COBOL has changed this stupid design and you are now allowed to indent any way you want. If only Python could grow up too...
Care to explain how you feel they could be improved?
The Intent system is what makes Android so powerful. If I have an application that wants to sent a twitter message, it can send an Intent with a request to do so. This Intent can be picked up by any of the applicaitons you have installed, so that the developer not only doesn't need to develop twitter functionality, the user can also choose to use whichever twitter application he wants, and it'll still integrate perfectly.
In case you were wondering, if more than one app is prepared to handle an Intent, the user gets an option to choose withich one should be used, and can store that as a default for the future.
Everything uses Intents, even basic functions such as sending an SMS, which is why alternate SMS applications works completely transparently. Another Intent is the one that displays the main "desktop". Again, no need to be limited to the default desktop application.
Just because no other mobile OS'es gets this right, doesn't mean that Android is wrong.
Imagine that, a software design decsision that worked. It's almost like the people who designed Unix were smart guys who knew what they were doing. Who would have though it?
Thank you, Web 2.0.
I think this is a case where the definition of the word has been extended over time, and there's nothing wrong with that. Wikipedia seems to agree with me too:
Even going on the freeway in a car is not a high-speed endeavour. There are just too many vehicles and people.
I can see this vehicle to be a perfect option for a lot of people.
I came into this story knowing that within the first 5 comments I would be able to find that very one. Sure enough, number 5 was it and I was as surprised as you that it wasn't the first one.
I'm not so sure you can call the unavailability of a single phone for "all hell breaking loose". Also, several countroes in Europe sell even the iphone unlocked, since they have to by law.
What if you gave the box to the elder? That way he'd still be relaying the information?
SPARC, as the grandparent post already pointed out to you.
The actual cause of this issue is a versioning incompatibility between different versions of libstdc++-so.6.
I find it to be a good compromise, and I'm actually happy that they don't include commandline tools that I won't need by default. If I need them, I can always install them.
I have a HTC Dream developer unit and I have to admit that even though I've hacked around quite a bit with it, I never felt the need to have stuff like Perl on it. Perhaps that's why Android is suceeding where OpenMoko failed. Android is a very good phone system that happens to be open and hackable. The OpenMoko devices is a linux system crammed into something where it doesn't fit.
Then there is the problem that OpenMoko just looks silly...
The Apple II was never big in Europe. The above-mentioned machines were much bigger back then. In fact, even though I was raised with computers during that time, I have never actually seen an Apple II in real life. The others, however, are very familiar to me.
Definitely. You also work in a shop where all kinds of different operating systems are supported and used. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2008... See?