On Sat, 23 Jun 2012 10:56:16 +0100
Samuel Penn <sam@???> wrote:
> On Friday 22 June 2012 23:29:46 john lewis wrote:
> > I had a very brief acquaintance with the ipod so this isn't even the
> > beginning of a real review but my first impression is that it is a
> > nice (expensive) toy but not really serious computing kit.
>
> What does this even mean? What is "serious computing kit"? Were you
> expecting to be able to run a climate modelling application on it?
> Or maybe just run a web server for a small business?
My comments were based on what I need a computer for and for me tablets,
smart phones and similar "modern" devices are useless.
> There seems to be a very strange attitude of "it's not a real
> computer" that come from some people in the IT community when talking
> about tablets (or even laptops in some cases). If it's "not a real
> computer", then it's a toy with no practical purpose.
Even my EeePC is not used for anything other than as a portable store
for my genealogy database that I can take to genealogy group meetings.
It is a bit more convenient than lugging a full size laptop around (and
my idea of a full size laptop is a Sony Vaio PCG-FX601)
> Tablets are not PCs. They're not meant to be PCs. They're a mobile
> device that is meant to make consumption of information easier in
<snipped>
> (my Android tablet is great when I do astrophotography, for helping
> to find objects, and controlling my cameras) - it's a completely
> different niche they fill compared to a PC or laptop.
I accept that and it is a niche use I don't have or am ever likely to
have. All my computing is done in the comfort of my home office apart
from the now rare visit to a LUG or genealogy group. Being retired
means I have no need to travel other than for pleasure.
> Given the rate at which the hardware and software is improving on
> tablets, and given what I can do with my phone now[1], it's not
> going to be long before the difference between mobile devices and
> PCs starts to become very blurred indeed (especially if Ubuntu
> starts shipping on such devices).
It worries me that the situation could arise when people in similar
situations to me will no longer be able to have the interface they
need because of so-called improvements to software.
Gnome 3 looked like doing this but for now at least there is still the
Classic option to use. Designers need to realise that not everyone
needs/wants mobile devices and that desktop systems are likely to be
wanted for many years.
I wouldn't be able to do my genealogy research using a non-gui web
browser for example as many sites I obtain data from wouldn't be
available without 'flash' and the like. I make very extensive use of
data I've purchased/downloaded in pdf format and don't know if there is
a non-gui reader that would allow me to use them.
Anyone who makes extensive use of a keyboard for programming would I
suspect also think something like an ipod as 'non-serious for that task.
So, to sum up, I have very specific requirements for a computer system
and those requirements are very unlikely to be fulfilled with an OS or
device designed with touch screens/mobility in mind.
It is in this context that I call my daughters ipod a toy.
--
John Lewis
Debian & the GeneWeb genealogical data server
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