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27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

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Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#81

Post by zokier »

pydry wrote: post #77
oliwarner wrote: post #49

Lots of focus on the hardware here but its form factor still exists in niches. What has vanished, is our ability to do general-purpose computing at ~8MHz. Consider the computers you had in the 90s. Windows 3.11 and Office ran on a 286 but I sit here with 12 cores at ~4Ghz just to post this crumby comment. We are spoilt. It really makes me yearn to do more with less.

Ive looked for a 5mx form factor in the form of a phone and not been able to find it.

Planet Computers? https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#82

Post by regularfry »

regularfry wrote: post #78
worldsayshi wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding head mounted display - I've been wanting to try something like NReal Air Ar glasses. Sounds like it fits your description: https://www.reddit.com/r/digitalnomad/comments/y155e1/my_nom...

Hm. They look very interesting. Wonder if there's anywhere I could try them out. I wear glasses for mild astigmatism, and I've always wondered if that's a blocker. For things like https://brilliant.xyz/ that's obviously less of an issue, but also they aren't aiming at the same sort of display.

Oh now that's even more interesting. Apparently they include a normal frame behind the display, so you can have your optician fit prescription lenses.

They're in a reasonable price range, too. Looking better and better. Thanks for the suggestion!

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#83

Post by stavros »

coldtea wrote: post #55
stavros wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that looking at it from a MHz standpoint is a red herring. How many things can you do per watt now, than you could per watt then?

Better ask, how many things you could do per watt now , if software had that era's leanness?

Well, UX is a spectrum. You can do things instantly on a very old machine if you don't mind using a cli. If what you want to do is a game, you can't get Cyberpunk, but you can get Pacman.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#84

Post by bayindirh »

coldtea wrote: post #57
bayindirh wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! Oh, looks like I'm old now. :c

Reddit is for old geezers, so I doubt any of the above answers is in any way in touch with 2023. And I'm not sure who calls Macbooks "$2000 Facebook machines". That sounds like the ancient DOS era bs that "Macs are toys" (funny, the PC ended getting all the gamers and meat-and-potatoes OS needs, i.e. email+web, older people). In the west, where they can afford it, a huge chunk of programmers, graphic designers, data…

Actually, I'm not a youngfolk, and I'm not bothered by it. It was just a joke.

Well, as a macOS + Linux user (for almost 2 decades), there were tons of "$2000 Facebook Machine" memes around. I remember rich kids getting them alongside shiny iPhones to put them on their tables at Starbucks to "show" them.

I, for one, code and post-process photos on both macOS and Linux, and generally happy about how they interoperate.

Also, I aim to continue to keep this Linux desktop + macOS notebook arrangement indefinitely, because it makes my life much easier and enjoyable.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#85

Post by siddiqi123 »

That’s true, and I would have liked the BlackBerry more if the pointer worked better and the software was better. That was the kicker for me. I do miss Graffiti – especially with all the trouble I have with the iPhone keyboard. It is a constant frustration, and it always has been

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#86

Post by criddell »

tobiasbischoff wrote: post #5

I will never understand why we do not have this kind of device anymore. A small computer, running linux, proper keyboard, integrated LTE - it would be a messaging and writing dream. Back in the days i developed custom software for the Revo, the SDK was a dream to work with as well.

Is Linux the right choice? It feels so heavy.

Could you make a Linux handheld that can run for 30 days on two AA batteries? Considering Psion made theirs 27 years ago, it seems like today we should be able to get a year or more out of two AA batteries.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#87

Post by colanderman »

coldtea wrote: post #55
stavros wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that looking at it from a MHz standpoint is a red herring. How many things can you do per watt now, than you could per watt then?

Better ask, how many things you could do per watt now , if software had that era's leanness?

Apparently 30 days of things, per the article.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#88

Post by afandian »

stavros wrote: post #83
coldtea wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Better ask, how many things you could do per watt now , if software had that era's leanness?

Well, UX is a spectrum. You can do things instantly on a very old machine if you don't mind using a cli. If what you want to do is a game, you can't get Cyberpunk, but you can get Pacman.

Imagine the speed you could play Pacman on a modern CPU! You could probably play a whole level in nanoseconds.

Re: 27 years later and the Psion 3a is still wonderful (2020)

#89

Post by stavros »

afandian wrote: post #88
stavros wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, UX is a spectrum. You can do things instantly on a very old machine if you don't mind using a cli. If what you want to do is a game, you can't get Cyberpunk, but you can get Pacman.

Imagine the speed you could play Pacman on a modern CPU! You could probably play a whole level in nanoseconds.

Oh, I often do. It increases productivity by orders of magnitude.
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