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Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

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Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#841

Post by Nowyouknow »

tvanantwerp wrote: post #780

Come next March, I'm going to be missing Google Inbox. Completely changed how I use email for the better. I'm dreading going back to the tradition email workflow and hope to God that somebody builds something to replace Inbox in my life. I also miss StumebleUpon from years ago. I don't even know if the site still exists, but for me it died when it forced me to pick interests. The great thing about that site was that…

Ditto on Inbox. Tried to use Spark as a replacement, but it wasn't even close to providing the experience Inbox does. Do you have any alternatives in mind?

Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#843

Post by santoshmaharshi »

I remember... Google Reader - Dont even have to explain why :-) Kuro5hin - Site similar to slashdot Windows Phone UI - The phone didn't work but has changed mobile interfaces a lot. Specially remember the black UI and readability, which is now known as Night mode. Nokia Phones - Now back, bright colors and good camera. I have accidentally drop tested it many times, once from a 2nd floor, which landed on pebbled surface.

Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#844

Post by mortehu »

ChristianGeek wrote: post #481
Liru wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is in contrast to google where searches return things that don't even contain your keywords. This has become so frustrating as of late, especially when you search for something like "c++ map" and it decides to completely ignore the "c++" part of your search, leaving you with pages of actual maps. Slightly exaggerated example since I can't remember any concrete ones off the top of my head, but the actual situat…

I just did a Google search on “c++ map” and didn’t see the behavior you describe.

Google fixed this specific case and a few others last year: https://blog.google/products/search/improvements-searching-s...

Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#845

Post by DigitalWheelie »

randcraw wrote: post #809

I miss Borders bookstore, especially the flagship store in Ann Arbor. That was a great place to explore what I don't know.

As far as big box bookstores, I miss Borders too. Don't care for Barnes & Noble for some reason. Borders just felt...better.

Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#846

Post by dbalagula22 »

I bought a laptop last week and made sure not to get a Macbook for the simple reason that I cannot stand the keyboard. I got a Dell line business laptop (Latitude). Although it’s priced more highly than other laptops with the same specs, the keyboard and feel of it are unbelievably good. It’s probably my favorite dev machine I’ve ever used. I know the attitude towards Windows machines, and maybe even Dell, but I would suggest people walk into a store and just feel one of these in person. It’s incredible

Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#847

Post by 3chelon »

bayindirh wrote: post #472
function_seven wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has ditched so many cool things in the MacBook line. 1) MagSafe. I know they really want to go all in on USB-C, but the original MagSafe connector was awesome. Even the weaker 2.0 version was nice. There were two instances where that connector saved my laptop. 2) The laser-drilled power indicator. That was so cool. It looked like the light magically appeared through the aluminum. Now there's no indication whats…

While I also love MagSafe and its features, wouldn't having a more standard port is much better? iPhones are constantly bashed by a group of users because of not having USB-C connectors. Having four USB-C ports with identical capabilities on a MacBook pro is a more pragmatic and flexible solution to have, when compared to MagSafe. On the power level and power button issue, Apple changes its features to shape customer…

> Having four USB-C ports with identical capabilities on a MacBook pro is a more pragmatic and flexible solution to have, when compared to MagSafe.

A more pragmatic solution to what? Everything I plug into these ports is via some ugly after-market adapter. There is not a single natively USB-C peripheral or cable that I have ever needed to attach (other than the power cable, of course). Even the iPhone itself is incompatible.

Luckily it's only a work machine and I get to use my older personal MBP at home...

Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#848

Post by DigitalWheelie »

ivanmaeder wrote: post #437

Adobe Fireworks. Easy, intuitive vector-based editor with bitmap support. Ideal for creating/editing images for UIs. It worked the way I expected an image editing tool to work. The complete opposite of Photoshop and Gimp (I don't understand the mental model there). Sketch is a decent replacement—although there are some UI decisions I don't agree with—and I believe Figma is also very similar.

I miss Adobe Image Ready and Macromedia Freehand. And Macromedia in general. And buying software, instead of this crazy rent-to-pay model.

Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#849

Post by dmcginty »

function_seven wrote: post #296
wishinghand wrote: post #202

The Macbook Pro chassis before the OLED touchstrip. I'm a web developer and learned on MBPs. The touchpad was the right size, the keys had the right amount of travel, the form factor and weight were perfect. Right now I'm considering moving to developing on a Galaga Pro and using Windows/WSL. I've got most things setup on my desktop how I like using HyperTerm (I had too much trouble with Cmder), VS Code, and ZSH. I c…

Apple has ditched so many cool things in the MacBook line. 1) MagSafe. I know they really want to go all in on USB-C, but the original MagSafe connector was awesome. Even the weaker 2.0 version was nice. There were two instances where that connector saved my laptop. 2) The laser-drilled power indicator. That was so cool. It looked like the light magically appeared through the aluminum. Now there's no indication whats…

My absolute favorite feature from older Macbooks was the access panel on the bottom for swapping the battery and hard drive. I'm not sure what models have them; I have a standard Macbook from ~2008 that has it. You just press a lever and the panel comes right off, exposing the user-serviceable parts. You could swap the battery using no tools in about 10 seconds. Or you could swap the hard drive using a screwdriver in a few minutes.

Re: Ask HN: What discontinued company/product do you wish was still around?

#850

Post by stamps »

ConceptJunkie wrote: post #795
aerovistae wrote: post #83

Ensemble Studios, makers of Age of Empires, Age of Empires 2, and Age of Mythology, some of the best RTSs ever made. There are other great RTSs, but they're all great in different ways from the Age series, which nothing else resembles. Microsoft bought them, and shut them down not long after for insufficient profits. Sigh. Age of Empires IV is being made now since they noticed there's demand, but the studio they chos…

I loved playing Age of Empires on my PocketPC. I can't find anything like it for Android.

What PocketPC do you use?

Do you just use it for Age of Empires?

Have you heard of the Pyra[0]?

It's nearing completion, hardware should be final at this point. Just need the software to get a good run up.

[0] https://pyra-handheld.com/boards/pages/pyra/

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