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Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

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Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#531

Post by nl »

herbst wrote: post #386
Al-Khwarizmi wrote: post #363

I don't know if this has a name, but... ICQ-like "searchable" instant messaging. Let me explain myself. In the late 90s, there was an IM client called ICQ. For starters, its UI was leaps and bounds ahead of anything to be seen in the next decade, and it had functionality like bots or groups, that has again become widespread a few years ago. But what I'm talking about is the fact that I could look for "female, age bet…

Facebook Graph search was like this (and creepier as people didnt always know _how_ they are searchable) nur Facebook heavily crippled this in the Last years.

Graph search still works surprisingly well if you know what you can search for.

Try http://graph.tips/

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#532

Post by jenscow »

abricot wrote: post #481
jenscow wrote: post #362

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This should be a good thing. Hopefully now that the non-tech people are moving away from traditional PC/laptop, this trend of dumbing down for the "average user" (read: lowest common denominator) can be stopped.

the "dumbing down" is what made it successful - and attainable - in the first place.

Exactly. It can stop now.

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#533

Post by whatyoucantsay »

Animats wrote: post #98
Blazespinnaker wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, SL is probably closest but they can't seem to get their users interested in headsets. Kinda ironic in a way.

Who wants to wear a VR headset for hours on end?

Nearly every PSVR owner I've met.

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#534

Post by zerostar07 »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #467
zerostar07 wrote: post #404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a lot closer to facebook than a game. It's basically a building game.

It’s basically 80% doll’s house, 20% brothel, where everyone pays rent. The idea isn’t terrible, but the implementation had some horrific flaws, and Linden Labs became notorious for infuriating users. SL might have taken off if both servers and clients were fully open-sourced, and LL had concentrated on building a global system for connecting open servers together. I strongly suspect someone will rediscover the idea…

There is an open source version of the server called opensimulator , and compatible viewers. There are tons of worlds outside SL : http://opensimworld.com/

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#535

Post by nl »

bsaul wrote: post #263

BeOS . That was the best os at the time by far, stellar performance, fantastic C++ api usable by a newbie, i still haven’t found a GUI as responsive as this one. DVD-audio. Great multi channel, high rate, high resolution audio. But it required the whole production chain to upgrade as well as new consumer equipement, and they competed with sony own format ( which was also a failure)... But it would have given the reco…

In an alternate universe, Apple bought Be. Inc. instead of NeXT.

It nearly happened too - they got down to talking price[1]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BeOS#History

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#536

Post by zerostar07 »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #511
TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s basically 80% doll’s house, 20% brothel, where everyone pays rent. The idea isn’t terrible, but the implementation had some horrific flaws, and Linden Labs became notorious for infuriating users. SL might have taken off if both servers and clients were fully open-sourced, and LL had concentrated on building a global system for connecting open servers together. I strongly suspect someone will rediscover the idea…

> I strongly suspect someone will rediscover the idea 5-10 years from now, do it properly Very likely, also happening in VR. > and replace today’s web. Not likely. It's just not going to happen. Pretty sure there have been multiple attempts at a 3d internet, but, nope.

> also happening in VR.

They tried, but so far it has failed to catch on and i predict more of these projects will go abandoned , including second life's own experiment, Sansar. IF anything the side-detour in VR has stalled the progress in virtual worlds for a few years.

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#537

Post by tajen »

vortico wrote: post #226
theshrike79 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But they're still amazing for status displays, e-readers and stuff that don't need low latencies. What's keeping them from being more popular is the price, anything over a 1" e-ink display costs a literal arm and a leg.

I would argue that e-readers actually do need reasonably low latencies. The reason I still read books is because I can flip through pages quickly and glance over 20 pages a second as I look for the page with a certain pattern of text or an image.

but you don’t need that for signage, calendar on your door, paper decorations on your bedroom walls, meeting room reservation sheets...

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#538

Post by Tepix »

captainmuon wrote: post #530
saas_co_de wrote: post #518

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bittorrent is good enough and there aren't really any law enforcement concerns any more. Pre 9/11 FBI and other agencies were actually doing prosecutions against people for unlicensed content distribution but after 9/11 they decided to focus on higher priorities so nobody really cares about security any more. A warning letter from the ISP is not quite the same threat as a few years in a fed pen.

In Germany, it is currently quite dangerous to use Bittorrent illegally. There is a high chance of getting an "Abmahnung", which costs around 600-900 euros. Using sharehosters with for-pay premium accounts is popular, as is using VPNs with bittorrent. The alternative is low-quality streaming. I think the content industry isn't pushing for eradicating illegal downloads, they just want it to be at least as expensive, o…

That's why the OP suggested that everyone only connects to friends.

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#539

Post by hans_mueller »

meigwilym wrote: post #477
hans_mueller wrote: post #416

Earlier quoted context omitted.

yes, but the English spoken by most non-natives is actually something like an Esperanto. the pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar is almost normalized and an artificial dialect. i think English is a very good compromise. the only problem are French people and other communities who disdain English for patriotical, historical, or political reasons.

I think My Language is a good compromise. The only problem are not My Language speakers and other communities who disdain My Language for patriotic, historic or political reasons.

as my fake username suggests - I'm a German.

Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?

#540

Post by elcapitan »

vazamb wrote: post #489
elcapitan wrote: post #483

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you "meet" people on ICQ, was there a discovery functionality? I used it too, but only for chatting with people I knew and whose account ids were known to me..

The parent literally explained how you meet people

Thanks!
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