Yeah, because playing GTA would _never_ make you more likely to run over pedestrians on the sidewalk... nor jerk your car out into oncoming traffic at incredibly risky moments. Yeah, I say, put granny in front of GTA, and see how her driving skills change... then we'll see if it's worth giving her an insurance discount;-)
And, Google Docs also has a built-in "IM" feature. The "Discuss" tab on the right lets you see who is currently looking at the document, and IM each other right in that tab, for discussion/coordination/etc.
I'd highly recommend it. We recently used it on a spreadsheet for a planned data center power outage, with all of the sysadmins IM'ing at the same time, and all we would each mark the "up/down" collumn of the sheet as we finished with a bunch of machines (over 300 total). And we had one spot that was a counter for how many were still up or down. It also kept track of shutdown/start-up order, responsible sysadmin, and dependencies. Instead of being like a mad-house we've had in previous outages, this one was almost like a ballet. Very useful tool.
So, yes, Google Docs may not technically be "Open Source", but it is free, and I bet you'll find it to be amazingly useful for what you want.
1) No more than 8" wide, but no more narrow than 6" or 7". I want it to be mostly usable for thumb typing, I want it to fit in my Maxpedition Colossus bag, but I also want it to be big enough to mostly touch type on.
2) Twist/Convertible Tablet screen. And a touch screen, obviously. Bonus if it's multi-touch capable (but not strictly required). The screen should have as little bezzel as possible.
3) Built in Wifi and Bluetooth, not on an SDIO card. Bluetooth should include HID, BIP, DUN, and PAN support. The wifi interface should support both acting as a client and as an access point.
4) PCI-Express internal module space, with antenna hookups so that you can put in an EVDO or HSPA module.
5) One full sized external SD card slot, and one external CF card slot.
6) A modest amount of internal Flash for the basic OS. Say, options for 1-8GB.
7) A 1.8" drive bay for adding your own storage option (with customization options that include SSDs, but the base model can be bought with this bay empty).
8) Options for 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB of RAM.
9) I don't care (one way nor the other) about a chat camera, but it'd be _nice_ if it had a photo camera.
10) 2 USB host ports, that support OTG (they can be full sized, mini, or micro ports though).
11) 1 Micro-DVI port, with DVI-I (ie. support for both digital and analog connections, so that you can use it to connect to analog TVs, VGA monitors, DVI monitors, and HDMI monitors/TVs).
12) Internal resolution can be as small as 800x480, but 1024x600 might be nice. External resolution should support 640x480, 800x480, 1024x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, and whatever wide-screen resolution goes with ?x1024 (1600x1024?).
13) For OS, I'd want one, or more, of the following, but they must be vendor supported in order for me to consider them to be viable options:
- Ubuntu Mobile - Android - Maemo - Mac OS X
(I think that, right now, ideally it'd have Ubuntu Mobile, with Android and OpenPandora extensions, so that you could run OpenPandora games and Android apps on it)
14) I'm agnostic about CPU architecture. As long as it's fast enough to be usable, and the battery options give me somewhere around 6 hours of reliable battery life (not estimated).
15) A nice bonus: if the PCI-Express module options included a quad-band GSM/ quad-band UMTS card that could be used for simultaneous voice, SMS/MMS, and data access. It would also be very nice if the software supported running a light SIP server to manage the voice interface, and a light jabber server to manage the SMS/MMS interface.
That's my ideal right now. It'd probably look somewhat like a Fujitsu Lifebook U810. Though, to slightly veer off topic, I think I'd rather have something in the form factor of the Samsung Q1 Ultra over a netbook. Give me a Q1 Ultra that otherwise matches the above feature set (#'s 3-13, and #15), maybe a slight boost in speed over the 1.3GHz Q1 Ultra Premium, and I'd be quite happy.
That'd all get rather expensive compared to the mainstream netbook market I bet though. Right now, I'm sure I'd be happy with a Dell mini that just added an HSPA modem, and maybe a twist/convertible touch screen (and, in that case, probably changed to ubuntu-mid over ubuntu).
I'm actually somewhat conflicted lately between getting the more expensive but preferable format Samsung Q1 Ultra vs a cheap Dell mini. The Dell has vendor supported ubuntu, and clearly a much better price point, but I think it might be slightly too wide for comfortable thumb typing...
0) Online storage space available via SMB, WebDav, and maybe kerberized NFS. Complete with the ability to do things like specify sharing permissions via SMB, WebDAV, NFS, and HTTP (I think Google's web space is less flexible than this)
1) Tech Support
2) User Education -- not the same as tech support, but often as valuable, if not MORE valuable. Offer small classes for all different levels of computer user. Things like "only stupid people send email attachments -- store the attachment in your online storage space, give the right people the appropriate permissions, and then send a link to the file, instead of the file itself, in that email".
3) Outreach -- see if you can use whatever funding you have to reach out to secondary schools that have less than adequate computer education programs. Depends somewhat on what types of funding you have, and what the limits are on that funding. If you're a student volunteer organization, you may have trouble with affording this. If you're a university funded organization, you may have trouble being authorized to spend your funding on things outside of the university. If you're a fee charging organization... who knows. And maybe you're a mix of all of those.
4) Data Sync and Backup -- Using the online storage space above, offer people things like ACAP, SyncML, ActiveSync, rsync, kerberized rsync, scp, and similar mechanisms for backing up some or all of their data (depending upon storage limits). Probably one of the biggest risks for students these days is losing critical school work (and contact information) due to the poor backup infrastructure available to their now decentralized devices. Perhaps also allowing syncing the ACAP/SyncML/ActiveSync contacts and calendar data up to any online services that you can think of, as well (essentially making yourself a free-to-students alternative to goosync, though perhaps not limited to syncing with Google, and not limited to SyncML).
5) Google Apps for Education -- One advantage you can get, as an eductional organization, over them going straight to Google is that you can open a domain for your school under "Google Apps for Education", giving the students ad free Google services for the duration of their attendance at your college (but part of the deal that google requires is that once they're no longer a student, you have to tell them that, so that then they become ad supported accounts). Free to you, no ads for them, and a lifetime account within the name space of their Alma Mater for them.
Has video conferencing. Though, I do have to honestly say I don't know if it works on Linux (I hear other people raving about Gizmo, and its video conf. abilities, and they're linux users, so I assumed... so sorry if I'm leading you off on a wild goose chase).
I'm glad they finally added IMAP support... but, unfortunately, neither my generic gmail account, nor my 'google apps for your domain' gmail are giving me the IMAP option. I wonder how long before it becomes aavailable to all gmail users.
90% of what I want/need to do with a non-server computer I can do on my N800. The other 10% is games and number crunching... and, really, I'd rather play games on a playstation 3 or wii than a laptop. And, number crunching isn't something I'd think of doing on my laptop either. The idea that I need a bulky laptop (or even a HUGE boulder of a desktop) to do the basic productivity things that occupy most of my day is, is just a dinosaur mentality.
Further, by doing it on my N800, I can use it in meetings without creating a partition between myself and the rest of the meeting (a psychological effect of a table full of laptops). I can also use my N800 while sitting on the couch (looked up actors on imdb during a commercial), without needing a tray to hold a laptop. Or on a bus. Or in a cafe (without taking up a huge portion of the table).
The main thing that would keep me from just completely replacing my desktop computer with my N800 is: lack of video out on the N800/N810. So I can't just hook it up to a monitor when I get to a desk (nor use a USB keyboard with it, but bluetooth is good enough in that regard).
And last, and most importantly, at $380*, a Vista Laptop is overpriced. Why would I pay $300 for a crappy OS running on a bulky brick of a computer?
(* walmart's page doesn't agree with you on the price)
Frankly, Apple missed the boat on this one. If they had had a supported ssh, and supported external keyboard, back in early September, bluetooth on the 'Touch (keyboard, headsets, and tethering to any bluetooth DUN/PAN phone), Mail on the 'Touch, and Notes on the 'Touch, I'd have bought a Touch.
If the iPhone had those missing pieces (including publicly stated support for tethering a laptop via bluetooth DUN/PAN), but the Touch did not, then I'd have seriously considered buying an iPhone. But I knew that the lack of official developer support for those things running natively meant that Apple could pull the plug at any time. And when they did that with 1.1.1, I knew I had made the right choice to not go down the Apple path (and, I'm a Mac guy, so integration between PDA/Phone and Desktop would have been a HUGE plus). When it came time to make my purchase decision, Apple eliminated themselves from the picture.
Instead, I got the Nokia N800. And I'm quite happy. It would take a HUGE effort from Apple to lure me back.
And, what's worse for Apple is: This made me go one step further away from being tied to core Apple apps. Bookmarks moved to Netvouz. Browser switched to Firefox. I had already moved mail clients to Thunderbird due to other on going problems with Mail.app. I may even move to be entirely gmail based (move my home mail server to Google Apps). At that point, there's very little reason for me to continue being a Mac customer... one bad decision from Apple (not supporting 3rd party apps on the iPhone and 'Touch from day 1) has a kind of high likelihood of costing them a customer. Not out of being disgruntled (far from it), but simply because the functionality for what I want, when I wanted it, was being provided by someone other than them... and that functionality is good enough to keep me moving in that direction.
1) a non-6 page version of this article whose summary tells me whether he did it, and what his time was
2) a version of this race that has the following modifications:
a) a device with GPS and car monitoring sensors put in to keep track of everything the car does during the race; disabling or tampering with the device is a disqualification.
b) going more than 7 MPH over the posted speed limit is a disqualification.
c) getting any moving violation other than a speeding ticket is a disqualification (speeding is covered by the previous rule, which will be caught by the monitor).
Now tell me how long it took. This isn't the "grandma" version of the race, this becomes a race about navigation, finesse (how you get yourself through unexpected traffic jams, anticipating traffic problems, researching your route for construction problems, etc.) instead of raw speed. I'd find that much more interesting.
So, then, in order to publish an article doing a comparison, it has to come from an outfit big enough to have a formal lab? Isn't this a version of the "corporate journalist vs blogger", or "corporate programmers vs open source contributor", arguments?
So, he's one individual who brought up a topic. He doesn't have a huge formal testing environment... and while you may find him biased, he did at least have the integrity to STATE his bias (you wont find an unbiased source, those don't exist; but finding a source which is up front about its biases is rather valuable).
This is the bazaar, not the cathedral. If you don't like/believe his results, come up with a way of creating the hard number analysis you think is necessary, and publish it as a rebuttal (or in agreement, or whatever you find). Complaining that he's not a cardinal (person in the cathedral) is just silly.
And, frankly, hasn't/. _always_ been about the bazaar of journalism?
Though, maybe it would be a good idea to ask/. to implement a reputation system other than the default karma score... something that gives a long term measure of the person's journalistic integrity (I don't get the feeling that that's what the karma score is really giving you). There are people who get complained about whenever they post some article... if there was a built in measure of that public reaction, then it would be easier to sort the wheat from the chaff. And newbies would be somewhere in the middle.
IMO, it would be better to work on having the space based solar send energy to a tethered satellite (ala the ribbon based space elevator).
Advantages:
1) over conventional space based solar power ideas: you don't have to build a satellite that is designed to send high energy beams into our atmosphere, having all sorts of possible collateral damage even before you look at the possible military capabilities of just moving the beam. No worries about the beams altering global weather patterns as they perform the equivalent of microwaving our atmosphere, or vaporizing entire flocks of rare birds (or entire flocks of common birds that end up becoming rare as a result of this).
2) over existing space elevator ideas: you don't have to support the weight of an elevator or probably even a manned station at the top of the tether. The tether just has to support a collector and a wire big enough to carry the current down. A much easier "first step" to the eventual space elevator concept.
disadvantages:
1) the worlds biggest lightening rod. That could itself have an effect on the local weather (but maybe not on global weather, which is a worry for the conventional SBSP). And it might also cause interruptions in the flow of electricity itself.
2) it's not quite as flexible though, in that you have to put up a tether wherever you want there to be power. With beam based SBSP, you can put a collector right in the rear echelon of the battle field, and recharge vehicles on the spot. With this, you'll have to charge batteries, and then ship the batteries.
Still, I like the idea of the giant power cord more than I like the idea of a giant space based death beam. "Real Genius" come to life.
What if I want to mount my laptop on my desktop machine, but I don't want ANYONE else to be able to do that?
Further, what if my hard drive isn't formatted in a windows format? Is the vendor of this technology supporting HFS+, UFS, the linux version of UFS, etc?
If it's much bigger than my N800, doesn't have any kind of physical keyboard* support, and is as closed/limited as the 'Touch or iPhone? Then I'll stick with my N800.
I chose the n800 over Apple because:
= open - great 3rd party app ecosystem (incl ssh and vnc)
= bluetooth keyboard, stylus screen keyboard, finger screen keyboard*
An N800 + freedom input slim (thumb) keyboard == micro laptop. Plus, theres rumors that the nextgen will have a slide-out keyboard. And WiMax.
(* I just wish the N800 had support for usb keyboards, like the dreamgear mini (thumb) keyboard... Apple will have to beat the N800 in this regard... and I greatly preferred the N800 finger keyboard over the iPhone's)
The N800 has been a big surprise for me. I have been a NeXT fan for 15 years, and as a result hated any Linux gui I came across before Hildon (thee n800's gui). I've also always been a pro bsd bigot (and anti-windows bigot... so windows mobile is right out). So Apple has been my natural choice for the last 7 years. I bought the n800 for the above reasons (bluetooth keyboard, ssh, open 3rd party software platform), instead of the iPhone or iPod Touch, and am in love with it.
If they get it to sync contacts, calendar, and bookmarks with google (or bookmarks with delicious), and maybe more dynamic/integrated spell checking, then I don't know why I'd ever look back. Esp since someone is working on a version of hildon for the desktop.
So, most likely, ven though 9 months ago I'd have drooled over an OS X PDA like the rumored Newton II... at this point, I doubt I'll notice nor care.
I decided to go with a Nokia n800 instead of waiting for the openmoku neo. I'm really happy with it. First linux GUI I've everv liked. And next year it should have:
- Sprint wimax (not actual cellular, but faster... and it already has skype) (officially announced)
- SIP phone client (in beta)
- if rumor pictures are to be believed, a slide out qwerty thumb keyboard.
I prefer a different form factor than the slide out, but I can't think of any other device I'd carry once those features are out.
Yes, you can write browser agnostic web pages that work well on (desktop, laptop, text-only, PDA, mobile, multiple browsers instead of only on variations of IE, etc.) just fine. You just can't include useless crap in the page.
The web was designed to deliver browser agnostic pages, that the browser made display decisions about based upon the platform (small screen, large screen, gui, text, etc.), OR based upon the wiewing preferences of the user... NOT based upon the preferences of the server or page developer.
All of the web elements that have come along that force viewing decisions upon the client (browser restrictions, resizing the screen, etc.) are a blight upon the net.
Cry me an f'n river. "oh no! I'll have to write browser agnostic pages again! Like I should have for the last 12 years. Woe is me." Blow me. It's my screen, not yours. Learn how to write a real web page (meaning one that is browser agnostic), or get a new career.
Having web filters out there that make it hard or impossible for the server to force this crap upon the client is a blessing. I know nothing else about vodaphone, but on this issue: good work, and ignore the whiners.
1) Open SDK for 3rd party native apps 2) Open SDK for 3rd party native apps 3) Open SDK for 3rd party native apps... then a long distance of importance down to
4) the iPod Touch was supposed to be an iPhone without the phone. It's not. It lacks a lot of things that the iPhone has (editable calendar and notes, things like that). I want an iPhone that can specifically be bought with the intention of never activating the phone service. I don't mean "unlocked to use with other cell carriers", I mean "no carrier at all".
5) even with AT&T service, the ability to turn off SMS TXT messages. Don't want em. Can't spam-scan them, so just turn it off. (the only SMS TXT messages I get now are all spam).
6) support for bluetooth keyboards, and landscape mode for all apps (some only work in portrait mode).
7) support for either bluetooth tethering to any compatible device OR ability to act as a wifi base station for any wifi client.
8) more google integration. Maps is nice, but what about getting google to finally deliver IMAP support and have that work with the iPhone's mail client? and syncing contacts and calendar with google apps? (and bookmarks with delicious or something)?
9) the 3rd party SDK would handle this, but: native ssh client. Maybe a native VNC client, too. Maybe a couple native VPN clients. (I have all of that on my nokia N800... so I don't think I'm being unreasonable on that front).
10) support for bluetooth hard drives, like the Seagate D.A.V.E.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, because playing GTA would _never_ make you more likely to run over pedestrians on the sidewalk... nor jerk your car out into oncoming traffic at incredibly risky moments. Yeah, I say, put granny in front of GTA, and see how her driving skills change... then we'll see if it's worth giving her an insurance discount ;-)
And, Google Docs also has a built-in "IM" feature. The "Discuss" tab on the right lets you see who is currently looking at the document, and IM each other right in that tab, for discussion/coordination/etc.
I'd highly recommend it. We recently used it on a spreadsheet for a planned data center power outage, with all of the sysadmins IM'ing at the same time, and all we would each mark the "up/down" collumn of the sheet as we finished with a bunch of machines (over 300 total). And we had one spot that was a counter for how many were still up or down. It also kept track of shutdown/start-up order, responsible sysadmin, and dependencies. Instead of being like a mad-house we've had in previous outages, this one was almost like a ballet. Very useful tool.
So, yes, Google Docs may not technically be "Open Source", but it is free, and I bet you'll find it to be amazingly useful for what you want.
1) No more than 8" wide, but no more narrow than 6" or 7". I want it to be mostly usable for thumb typing, I want it to fit in my Maxpedition Colossus bag, but I also want it to be big enough to mostly touch type on.
2) Twist/Convertible Tablet screen. And a touch screen, obviously. Bonus if it's multi-touch capable (but not strictly required). The screen should have as little bezzel as possible.
3) Built in Wifi and Bluetooth, not on an SDIO card. Bluetooth should include HID, BIP, DUN, and PAN support. The wifi interface should support both acting as a client and as an access point.
4) PCI-Express internal module space, with antenna hookups so that you can put in an EVDO or HSPA module.
5) One full sized external SD card slot, and one external CF card slot.
6) A modest amount of internal Flash for the basic OS. Say, options for 1-8GB.
7) A 1.8" drive bay for adding your own storage option (with customization options that include SSDs, but the base model can be bought with this bay empty).
8) Options for 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB of RAM.
9) I don't care (one way nor the other) about a chat camera, but it'd be _nice_ if it had a photo camera.
10) 2 USB host ports, that support OTG (they can be full sized, mini, or micro ports though).
11) 1 Micro-DVI port, with DVI-I (ie. support for both digital and analog connections, so that you can use it to connect to analog TVs, VGA monitors, DVI monitors, and HDMI monitors/TVs).
12) Internal resolution can be as small as 800x480, but 1024x600 might be nice. External resolution should support 640x480, 800x480, 1024x600, 1024x768, 1280x1024, and whatever wide-screen resolution goes with ?x1024 (1600x1024?).
13) For OS, I'd want one, or more, of the following, but they must be vendor supported in order for me to consider them to be viable options:
- Ubuntu Mobile
- Android
- Maemo
- Mac OS X
(I think that, right now, ideally it'd have Ubuntu Mobile, with Android and OpenPandora extensions, so that you could run OpenPandora games and Android apps on it)
14) I'm agnostic about CPU architecture. As long as it's fast enough to be usable, and the battery options give me somewhere around 6 hours of reliable battery life (not estimated).
15) A nice bonus: if the PCI-Express module options included a quad-band GSM/ quad-band UMTS card that could be used for simultaneous voice, SMS/MMS, and data access. It would also be very nice if the software supported running a light SIP server to manage the voice interface, and a light jabber server to manage the SMS/MMS interface.
That's my ideal right now. It'd probably look somewhat like a Fujitsu Lifebook U810. Though, to slightly veer off topic, I think I'd rather have something in the form factor of the Samsung Q1 Ultra over a netbook. Give me a Q1 Ultra that otherwise matches the above feature set (#'s 3-13, and #15), maybe a slight boost in speed over the 1.3GHz Q1 Ultra Premium, and I'd be quite happy.
That'd all get rather expensive compared to the mainstream netbook market I bet though. Right now, I'm sure I'd be happy with a Dell mini that just added an HSPA modem, and maybe a twist/convertible touch screen (and, in that case, probably changed to ubuntu-mid over ubuntu).
I'm actually somewhat conflicted lately between getting the more expensive but preferable format Samsung Q1 Ultra vs a cheap Dell mini. The Dell has vendor supported ubuntu, and clearly a much better price point, but I think it might be slightly too wide for comfortable thumb typing...
0) Online storage space available via SMB, WebDav, and maybe kerberized NFS. Complete with the ability to do things like specify sharing permissions via SMB, WebDAV, NFS, and HTTP (I think Google's web space is less flexible than this)
1) Tech Support
2) User Education -- not the same as tech support, but often as valuable, if not MORE valuable. Offer small classes for all different levels of computer user. Things like "only stupid people send email attachments -- store the attachment in your online storage space, give the right people the appropriate permissions, and then send a link to the file, instead of the file itself, in that email".
3) Outreach -- see if you can use whatever funding you have to reach out to secondary schools that have less than adequate computer education programs. Depends somewhat on what types of funding you have, and what the limits are on that funding. If you're a student volunteer organization, you may have trouble with affording this. If you're a university funded organization, you may have trouble being authorized to spend your funding on things outside of the university. If you're a fee charging organization ... who knows. And maybe you're a mix of all of those.
4) Data Sync and Backup -- Using the online storage space above, offer people things like ACAP, SyncML, ActiveSync, rsync, kerberized rsync, scp, and similar mechanisms for backing up some or all of their data (depending upon storage limits). Probably one of the biggest risks for students these days is losing critical school work (and contact information) due to the poor backup infrastructure available to their now decentralized devices. Perhaps also allowing syncing the ACAP/SyncML/ActiveSync contacts and calendar data up to any online services that you can think of, as well (essentially making yourself a free-to-students alternative to goosync, though perhaps not limited to syncing with Google, and not limited to SyncML).
5) Google Apps for Education -- One advantage you can get, as an eductional organization, over them going straight to Google is that you can open a domain for your school under "Google Apps for Education", giving the students ad free Google services for the duration of their attendance at your college (but part of the deal that google requires is that once they're no longer a student, you have to tell them that, so that then they become ad supported accounts). Free to you, no ads for them, and a lifetime account within the name space of their Alma Mater for them.
Your definition of arcane (or mine, etc.) is irrelevant.
The relevant defn. of arcane is the OP's.
Except... he said nothing as arcane and unfriendly as vi and emacs. So, suggesting a vi clone and/or emacs is kind of ... inappropriate?
Is pico still out there? I never really liked it, but it is/was supposed to be more user friendly.
Is there a reason you haven't looked into Gizmo?
http://gizmo5.com/
Linux, Mac, Windows
Has video conferencing. Though, I do have to honestly say I don't know if it works on Linux (I hear other people raving about Gizmo, and its video conf. abilities, and they're linux users, so I assumed... so sorry if I'm leading you off on a wild goose chase).
I'm glad they finally added IMAP support... but, unfortunately, neither my generic gmail account, nor my 'google apps for your domain' gmail are giving me the IMAP option. I wonder how long before it becomes aavailable to all gmail users.
Maybe that's why the quote specified GSM
(verizon and sprint aren't GSM carriers, they're CDMA carriers)
90% of what I want/need to do with a non-server computer I can do on my N800. The other 10% is games and number crunching
Further, by doing it on my N800, I can use it in meetings without creating a partition between myself and the rest of the meeting (a psychological effect of a table full of laptops). I can also use my N800 while sitting on the couch (looked up actors on imdb during a commercial), without needing a tray to hold a laptop. Or on a bus. Or in a cafe (without taking up a huge portion of the table).
The main thing that would keep me from just completely replacing my desktop computer with my N800 is: lack of video out on the N800/N810. So I can't just hook it up to a monitor when I get to a desk (nor use a USB keyboard with it, but bluetooth is good enough in that regard).
And last, and most importantly, at $380*, a Vista Laptop is overpriced. Why would I pay $300 for a crappy OS running on a bulky brick of a computer?
(* walmart's page doesn't agree with you on the price)
Frankly, Apple missed the boat on this one. If they had had a supported ssh, and supported external keyboard, back in early September, bluetooth on the 'Touch (keyboard, headsets, and tethering to any bluetooth DUN/PAN phone), Mail on the 'Touch, and Notes on the 'Touch, I'd have bought a Touch.
... one bad decision from Apple (not supporting 3rd party apps on the iPhone and 'Touch from day 1) has a kind of high likelihood of costing them a customer. Not out of being disgruntled (far from it), but simply because the functionality for what I want, when I wanted it, was being provided by someone other than them ... and that functionality is good enough to keep me moving in that direction.
If the iPhone had those missing pieces (including publicly stated support for tethering a laptop via bluetooth DUN/PAN), but the Touch did not, then I'd have seriously considered buying an iPhone. But I knew that the lack of official developer support for those things running natively meant that Apple could pull the plug at any time. And when they did that with 1.1.1, I knew I had made the right choice to not go down the Apple path (and, I'm a Mac guy, so integration between PDA/Phone and Desktop would have been a HUGE plus). When it came time to make my purchase decision, Apple eliminated themselves from the picture.
Instead, I got the Nokia N800. And I'm quite happy. It would take a HUGE effort from Apple to lure me back.
And, what's worse for Apple is: This made me go one step further away from being tied to core Apple apps. Bookmarks moved to Netvouz. Browser switched to Firefox. I had already moved mail clients to Thunderbird due to other on going problems with Mail.app. I may even move to be entirely gmail based (move my home mail server to Google Apps). At that point, there's very little reason for me to continue being a Mac customer
1) a non-6 page version of this article whose summary tells me whether he did it, and what his time was
2) a version of this race that has the following modifications:
a) a device with GPS and car monitoring sensors put in to keep track of everything the car does during the race; disabling or tampering with the device is a disqualification.
b) going more than 7 MPH over the posted speed limit is a disqualification.
c) getting any moving violation other than a speeding ticket is a disqualification (speeding is covered by the previous rule, which will be caught by the monitor).
Now tell me how long it took. This isn't the "grandma" version of the race, this becomes a race about navigation, finesse (how you get yourself through unexpected traffic jams, anticipating traffic problems, researching your route for construction problems, etc.) instead of raw speed. I'd find that much more interesting.
So, then, in order to publish an article doing a comparison, it has to come from an outfit big enough to have a formal lab? Isn't this a version of the "corporate journalist vs blogger", or "corporate programmers vs open source contributor", arguments?
So, he's one individual who brought up a topic. He doesn't have a huge formal testing environment... and while you may find him biased, he did at least have the integrity to STATE his bias (you wont find an unbiased source, those don't exist; but finding a source which is up front about its biases is rather valuable).
This is the bazaar, not the cathedral. If you don't like/believe his results, come up with a way of creating the hard number analysis you think is necessary, and publish it as a rebuttal (or in agreement, or whatever you find). Complaining that he's not a cardinal (person in the cathedral) is just silly.
And, frankly, hasn't
Though, maybe it would be a good idea to ask
IMO, it would be better to work on having the space based solar send energy to a tethered satellite (ala the ribbon based space elevator).
Advantages:
1) over conventional space based solar power ideas: you don't have to build a satellite that is designed to send high energy beams into our atmosphere, having all sorts of possible collateral damage even before you look at the possible military capabilities of just moving the beam. No worries about the beams altering global weather patterns as they perform the equivalent of microwaving our atmosphere, or vaporizing entire flocks of rare birds (or entire flocks of common birds that end up becoming rare as a result of this).
2) over existing space elevator ideas: you don't have to support the weight of an elevator or probably even a manned station at the top of the tether. The tether just has to support a collector and a wire big enough to carry the current down. A much easier "first step" to the eventual space elevator concept.
disadvantages:
1) the worlds biggest lightening rod. That could itself have an effect on the local weather (but maybe not on global weather, which is a worry for the conventional SBSP). And it might also cause interruptions in the flow of electricity itself.
2) it's not quite as flexible though, in that you have to put up a tether wherever you want there to be power. With beam based SBSP, you can put a collector right in the rear echelon of the battle field, and recharge vehicles on the spot. With this, you'll have to charge batteries, and then ship the batteries.
Still, I like the idea of the giant power cord more than I like the idea of a giant space based death beam. "Real Genius" come to life.
Or access rights at all.
What if I want to mount my laptop on my desktop machine, but I don't want ANYONE else to be able to do that?
Further, what if my hard drive isn't formatted in a windows format? Is the vendor of this technology supporting HFS+, UFS, the linux version of UFS, etc?
Let me get this straight.....I can fuse a human with a shark
Yes, but can you put LASERS on them?
Meh. I'd rather develop for maeemo/hildon (nokia's linux flavor for the n800). I'm posting this from it now.
Or, maybe, they're faking it. So that we don't know how advanced they're getting, and wont see it coming when the robot revolution comes.
So, let me go on the record now, saying: I welcome our soon-to-be-evolving robot overlords!
If it's much bigger than my N800, doesn't have any kind of physical keyboard* support, and is as closed/limited as the 'Touch or iPhone? Then I'll stick with my N800.
... Apple will have to beat the N800 in this regard ... and I greatly preferred the N800 finger keyboard over the iPhone's)
... so windows mobile is right out). So Apple has been my natural choice for the last 7 years. I bought the n800 for the above reasons (bluetooth keyboard, ssh, open 3rd party software platform), instead of the iPhone or iPod Touch, and am in love with it.
... at this point, I doubt I'll notice nor care.
I chose the n800 over Apple because:
= open - great 3rd party app ecosystem (incl ssh and vnc)
= bluetooth keyboard, stylus screen keyboard, finger screen keyboard*
An N800 + freedom input slim (thumb) keyboard == micro laptop. Plus, theres rumors that the nextgen will have a slide-out keyboard. And WiMax.
(* I just wish the N800 had support for usb keyboards, like the dreamgear mini (thumb) keyboard
The N800 has been a big surprise for me. I have been a NeXT fan for 15 years, and as a result hated any Linux gui I came across before Hildon (thee n800's gui). I've also always been a pro bsd bigot (and anti-windows bigot
If they get it to sync contacts, calendar, and bookmarks with google (or bookmarks with delicious), and maybe more dynamic/integrated spell checking, then I don't know why I'd ever look back. Esp since someone is working on a version of hildon for the desktop.
So, most likely, ven though 9 months ago I'd have drooled over an OS X PDA like the rumored Newton II
I decided to go with a Nokia n800 instead of waiting for the openmoku neo. I'm really happy with it. First linux GUI I've everv liked. And next year it should have:
... and it already has skype) (officially announced)
- Sprint wimax (not actual cellular, but faster
- SIP phone client (in beta)
- if rumor pictures are to be believed, a slide out qwerty thumb keyboard.
I prefer a different form factor than the slide out, but I can't think of any other device I'd carry once those features are out.
Yes, you can write browser agnostic web pages that work well on (desktop, laptop, text-only, PDA, mobile, multiple browsers instead of only on variations of IE, etc.) just fine. You just can't include useless crap in the page.
The web was designed to deliver browser agnostic pages, that the browser made display decisions about based upon the platform (small screen, large screen, gui, text, etc.), OR based upon the wiewing preferences of the user ... NOT based upon the preferences of the server or page developer.
All of the web elements that have come along that force viewing decisions upon the client (browser restrictions, resizing the screen, etc.) are a blight upon the net.
Cry me an f'n river. "oh no! I'll have to write browser agnostic pages again! Like I should have for the last 12 years. Woe is me." Blow me. It's my screen, not yours. Learn how to write a real web page (meaning one that is browser agnostic), or get a new career.
Having web filters out there that make it hard or impossible for the server to force this crap upon the client is a blessing. I know nothing else about vodaphone, but on this issue: good work, and ignore the whiners.
http://search.cpan.org/~krs/GMail-IMAPD-0.93/lib/GMail/IMAPD.pm
I read a review of it, and I'm not sure I agree with all of the implementation choices, but supposedly it works.
I'd rather have real IMAP from google though.
If not, not worth my time.
1) Open SDK for 3rd party native apps ... then a long distance of importance down to
... so I don't think I'm being unreasonable on that front).
2) Open SDK for 3rd party native apps
3) Open SDK for 3rd party native apps
4) the iPod Touch was supposed to be an iPhone without the phone. It's not. It lacks a lot of things that the iPhone has (editable calendar and notes, things like that). I want an iPhone that can specifically be bought with the intention of never activating the phone service. I don't mean "unlocked to use with other cell carriers", I mean "no carrier at all".
5) even with AT&T service, the ability to turn off SMS TXT messages. Don't want em. Can't spam-scan them, so just turn it off. (the only SMS TXT messages I get now are all spam).
6) support for bluetooth keyboards, and landscape mode for all apps (some only work in portrait mode).
7) support for either bluetooth tethering to any compatible device OR ability to act as a wifi base station for any wifi client.
8) more google integration. Maps is nice, but what about getting google to finally deliver IMAP support and have that work with the iPhone's mail client? and syncing contacts and calendar with google apps? (and bookmarks with delicious or something)?
9) the 3rd party SDK would handle this, but: native ssh client. Maybe a native VNC client, too. Maybe a couple native VPN clients. (I have all of that on my nokia N800
10) support for bluetooth hard drives, like the Seagate D.A.V.E.
I think that about covers it for me.