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Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

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Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#481

Post by superdude »

digi_owl wrote: post #468
avar wrote: post #116

A few things: Everything not being 4:3 screens. I found it better for programming than everything being cinematic screens. Back when monitor manufacturers were racing to make better / higher resolution monitors, instead of just leaving it at 1080p / 4k / whatever the current standard good enough for movies is. The GMail interface before it started auto-converting the textarea to HTML when edited externally. Console g…

Heh, i recall when Apple started shipping everything with 16:9. You could tell when a web dev was using Mac, as invariably the site layout would produce a scroll bar at the bottom of the screen on 4:3 screens.

Actually, Apple has only used 16:10 screens for their laptops (11" Air is an exception) while almost everyone else uses 16:9. The iPad has a 4:3 screen while so many other Android tablets have used 16:9 (thankfully there are more choices now).

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#482

Post by fzn »

Sanddancer wrote: post #131

Crossties. It was a relational desktop for Windows 3.1 which could replace progman and allow you to set up associations with projects, contacts, etc -- for example, opening up someone's contact info would pull up the documents you were working on for them, etc. 20 years later, we still really don't have anything that can provide that sort of context on the desktop, or even worse, we don't have those kinds of relation…

That spiked my curiosity. If anybody has more on this, I believe it should be shared somewhere.

Besides a PC Mag excerpts and a listing on some russian utilities compilation CD page, the interwebs look devoid.

https://books.google.com/books?id=LYp7r6OrMdIC&pg=RA1-PA172&...

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#483

Post by dcuthbertson »

I prefer a trackball to a mouse, and the one I liked best was the Microsoft Trackball Explorer. I liked that I could control the trackball with my fingers and use my thumb for the wheel and buttons. Pointing is much more precise that way.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#485

Post by maxxxxx »

anexprogrammer wrote: post #194
rcarmo wrote: post #177

The Psion Series 3 handhelds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psion_Series_3 A (tiny, but) usable, physical keyboard on a device that lasted _ages_, fit into a suit pocket and was eminently practical. The age of the PDA is long gone (heck, I'm typing this on an iPad mini), but we still haven't caught up with some of its best bits.

Oh heck, you remind me of my psion 5. It was brilliant, and the tiny keyboard was good enough to touch type on. Battery life in weeks. Someone bung a modern screen on that form-factor please.

The Psion 5 keyboard was perfect for that size.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#486

Post by ak39 »

elviejo wrote: post #308
jasim wrote: post #14

The xBase family of languages/development environments. They are still around - Harbour (open-source multi-platform Clipper implementation) and Ashton-Tate dBase which changed many hands and is now dBase LLC. They were one of the fastest environments to build business software in till the early 90s. Then Client/Server and Windows happened. Visual Basic and Delphi occupied the niche with support for SQL based database…

Fox Pro was so muchas better than anything we have on the web to work with a database.

True for any software that allows you to focus on requirements as opposed to having to find innovative hacks to get ideas implemented.

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#489

Post by lettercarrier »

The Telephone with Dial Tone and associated Busy Signal. A busy signal meant nobody could contact me; Also, by either not answering the phone or by simply taking the receiver off the hook I controlled interruptions. And, nobody became concerned if they did not hear from me in an hour, 1/2 day, day or even week. And I had no concern if I did not hear from others either in that timeframe.

So the "tool" to maintain privacy was very controllable by me and nobody would think otherwise.

Any Norton product dBase III

Re: Ask HN: What's the best tool you used to use that doesn't exist anymore?

#490

Post by ak39 »

hyperpallium wrote: post #36
jasim wrote: post #14

The xBase family of languages/development environments. They are still around - Harbour (open-source multi-platform Clipper implementation) and Ashton-Tate dBase which changed many hands and is now dBase LLC. They were one of the fastest environments to build business software in till the early 90s. Then Client/Server and Windows happened. Visual Basic and Delphi occupied the niche with support for SQL based database…

I've heard the love for foxpro before. I thought microsoft bought it and killed it?

Look at this concept of dynamic forms in FoxPro with full databinding capabilities:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_rCtxf1zBo

Always felt FoxPro's concept was light years ahead of XAML's ito clarity of implementation.

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