Windows has had this with .NET apps for... Oh, pretty much since there has been a .NET. I had written several apps for Windows CE that ran both on desktop and mobile (same EXE file, even). Today, you can do it with UWP. It's a shame Windows Phones didn't take off. They had a great UI paradigm and I think Microsoft has done a lot of very hard work that goes mostly unappreciated in the development world, just because G…
> They had a great UI paradigm
Many people liked that paradigm. I am not one of them.
It solves a _development_ problem I think the GP meant to ask "what problem does this solve for end users? " It's hard to market to consumers if your primary differentiator is only useful to developers.
When I was typing that comment, I was actually going to elaborate on this point, but decided not to for brevity. The reality is, if a developer can generate greater reach, it gives more options to the consumer. And so in that regard it does solve a problem for the end user - they have more software options to choose from. Perhaps there is more competition, which I think we can all probably agree is good for users.
> The reality is, if a developer can generate greater reach, it gives more options to the consumer.
But if the cost of doing so is that the apps have to be mediocre, is that really good?
The exciting part of this to me is not the ability to run the same software on two devices, but the potential to run two 'kinds' of software on one single device. This unlocks what is for me the most appealing computing fantasy: I have exactly one device to compute with. At home or work, I plug it into my dock, where it pairs to an eGPU/monitor, external storage, keyboard, and mouse, and is my desktop computer. There…
> $4000+
That's an excessive number. Great laptops can be had for under $1000.
Obviously, you could spend over $4000, but I don't think this is a reasonable number for most people. Even most 'computer' people. And who still buys tablets anyway?
My primary concern with this is that different applications are inherently optimized for the platform on which they were originally designed. There are some applications that have a very dense UI because there's simply alot of functionality that the program handles (think of a video editor, an IDE, etc). Trying to slim down those applications to make them reactive so that they will scale onto a phone or tablet just s…
I've used both vim and emacs from my phone pretty extensively via termux.
I have the GPD Win that I bought a couple years ago, which is more or a less a Nintendo-DS-Sized computer running "real" Windows, and I love it. I can do programming on the train, even while standing up, as well as use all the tooling that I like, including Vim actually. The only limitation for me has honestly been Windows, since I'm more of a Unixey guy. Something that has always bothered me is that smartphones are…
"but I feel incredibly limited in what I can actually do with my iPhone" That's because they're intended to work as media consumption devices rather than productivity ones. If someone feels productive on a phone, he or she has very likely adapted herself to the device than the other way around. I had to struggle yesterday with my GF new phone because her lawyer sent her a paper in .doc format using Whatsapp (no kiddi…
> apparently that practice is widespread among non IT professionals, and I find it rather dangerous. The privacy implications should raise some big alerts.
Is using an end
-to-end encrypted service worrying?
I assume whatsapp encrypts media as well as messages (I hope so). If you sent that document to any kind of corporate email account (many people use work accounts for non work stuff) it's liable to be opened by your company. Unless you think Facebook is backdooring Whatsapp it's about as secure as a typical email account.
My primary concern with this is that different applications are inherently optimized for the platform on which they were originally designed. There are some applications that have a very dense UI because there's simply alot of functionality that the program handles (think of a video editor, an IDE, etc). Trying to slim down those applications to make them reactive so that they will scale onto a phone or tablet just s…
sigh Yes. I want to be able to seamlessly move stuff between my phone, laptop, TV, stereo, car. For that, I really need open standards, not "convergence". I also don't want a UI on my desktop that's compromised by the restrictions of working on a PlayStation.
Eventually it sound be the device I carry around is the main device, everything else should strictly be for input/output. I hop in a rental car the DIN just mirrors the screen & input adapted.
"but I feel incredibly limited in what I can actually do with my iPhone" That's because they're intended to work as media consumption devices rather than productivity ones. If someone feels productive on a phone, he or she has very likely adapted herself to the device than the other way around. I had to struggle yesterday with my GF new phone because her lawyer sent her a paper in .doc format using Whatsapp (no kiddi…
Check out the new Planet devices.
Non-android support relies on libhybris, sticking you with an ancient kernel and proprietary drivers on Debian and Sailfish since only Android has "proper" support form Mediatek. Also the keyboard on the Gemini is crummy. Alt-tab occasionally triggers caps lock (fn tab) and some key combos like ctrl-alt-v to scroll other window in emacs sends a totally different signal and doesn't work. Their layout pushes normal keys like minus to the fn layer while wasting four keys on dedicated arrow keys. Why they couldn't just look at a 60% keyboard, I don't know. Something 50% and ortholinear like the preonic could work well for a UMPC also if they couldn't even give us a 60% equivalent. Also the screen has curved corners which cuts off info visibly on the Debian side. Android hides it better. Oh, and every time you close it, a key is pressed. There's not enough space between screen and keyboard when closed. It also leaves an imprint of keys on the screen. The GPD devices seem similarly disappointing in regards to keyboard layout. I have not bought one to give more specifics like with the Gemini. I want this form factor to work, but no one is doing it right.
sigh Yes. I want to be able to seamlessly move stuff between my phone, laptop, TV, stereo, car. For that, I really need open standards, not "convergence". I also don't want a UI on my desktop that's compromised by the restrictions of working on a PlayStation.
Eventually it sound be the device I carry around is the main device, everything else should strictly be for input/output. I hop in a rental car the DIN just mirrors the screen & input adapted. But... https://xkcd.com/927/
Windows has had this with .NET apps for... Oh, pretty much since there has been a .NET. I had written several apps for Windows CE that ran both on desktop and mobile (same EXE file, even). Today, you can do it with UWP. It's a shame Windows Phones didn't take off. They had a great UI paradigm and I think Microsoft has done a lot of very hard work that goes mostly unappreciated in the development world, just because G…
Yeah, as someone who still carries an HP Elite x3 and uses some of the same apps on my phone and my desk, I found the claim of being "first" Purism made here to be... hilarious.
I have the GPD Win that I bought a couple years ago, which is more or a less a Nintendo-DS-Sized computer running "real" Windows, and I love it. I can do programming on the train, even while standing up, as well as use all the tooling that I like, including Vim actually. The only limitation for me has honestly been Windows, since I'm more of a Unixey guy. Something that has always bothered me is that smartphones are…
"but I feel incredibly limited in what I can actually do with my iPhone" That's because they're intended to work as media consumption devices rather than productivity ones. If someone feels productive on a phone, he or she has very likely adapted herself to the device than the other way around. I had to struggle yesterday with my GF new phone because her lawyer sent her a paper in .doc format using Whatsapp (no kiddi…
> sent her a paper in .doc format using Whatsapp
If this happens again in the future it might be easier to connect to web.whatsapp.com in a desktop computer.