Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds • Hacker News Board

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#81

Post by w1ntermute » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:02 PM UTC

jmj42 wrote: post #80

w1ntermute wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I prefer the Lenovo "nipple" over a touchpad but most people hate it The problem is that no one gives the TrackPoint a chance. I've seen people who've used ThinkPads for years and have never even touched the TrackPoint. But if you spend about 30 minutes working with it, you'll find that it's superior to both mice and trackpads for 99% of tasks (gaming being the one exception, for which I keep a mouse on hand).

I have to agree. While my current laptop is a Macbook (and inertial two-finger scrolling is awesome), I've been using Thinkpads for years (I actually have two for home use), and nothing beats the Trackpoint. It's fast and efficient, and you don't have to pull you hands away from the keyboard to perform mouse operations. For what it's worth, I even disable the trackpad on my Thinkpads and only use the Trackpoint.

Same here, the first thing I did when I got my ThinkPad was to go into the BIOS settings and disable the trackpad. There's absolutely no need for it once you've gotten used to the TrackPoint.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#82

Post by ralfn » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:11 PM UTC

rahoulb wrote: post #58

mtgx wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People chose the Lumia 900 because of the design, not because of the specs and the OS (it used the same hardware and OS version as others 6 months before it, so why weren't they so interested in those?). They also chose the Galaxy S3 because of its (mostly) top notch hardware, not because of its "Nature UX" skin. People also tend to buy the iPhone because of how good it looks. In fact I think there are 3 main reasons…

However, I do know of three non-technical people who have said they're never getting "an android" again because their [Froyo/Gingerbread] experience was so bad. But as they're on 24 month contracts they have had (and still have) a lot of time for this dislike to grow. I have recommended Windows Phone to the one whose contract is almost up.

Were they using stock android or crappyfied android?

Dont wait 24 months to suggest a windows phone. Suggest they flash a non broken version of android onto their phone.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#83

Post by ConstantineXVI » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:31 PM UTC

ralfn wrote: post #82

rahoulb wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

However, I do know of three non-technical people who have said they're never getting "an android" again because their [Froyo/Gingerbread] experience was so bad. But as they're on 24 month contracts they have had (and still have) a lot of time for this dislike to grow. I have recommended Windows Phone to the one whose contract is almost up.

Were they using stock android or crappyfied android? Dont wait 24 months to suggest a windows phone. Suggest they flash a non broken version of android onto their phone.

Why should I go out of my way to fix a broken product? The appropriate response to a phone running broken software is ignore it and buy one built by someone competent. Buying a broken phone only encourages the manufacturer to make more, regardless of what you do with it after they have their $400.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#84

Post by mmagin » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:42 PM UTC

Andrenid wrote: post #18

roopeshv wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i am not sure why everyone is feeling that it is hard to open the box. there were 2 tapes on the box, which I cut with my room keys and everything was fine, it wasn't hard. Is it just me that feels everyone is just too idiotic when it comes to opening boxes?

Myself and my wife had absolutely no problem sliding it out of it's sleeve and then slicing the 2 tabs with a knife and lifting the top off. Only thing i can think of, is maybe there was a defective batch of boxes that were slightly too tight? The complaints I had been reading for days definitely confused me once I got it and opened it with ease.

In recent memory, I haven't needed a knife to open an apple box easily. (Not counting brown outer shipping boxes.)

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#85

Post by rahoulb » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:42 PM UTC

ralfn wrote: post #82

rahoulb wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

However, I do know of three non-technical people who have said they're never getting "an android" again because their [Froyo/Gingerbread] experience was so bad. But as they're on 24 month contracts they have had (and still have) a lot of time for this dislike to grow. I have recommended Windows Phone to the one whose contract is almost up.

Were they using stock android or crappyfied android? Dont wait 24 months to suggest a windows phone. Suggest they flash a non broken version of android onto their phone.

> Suggest they flash a non broken version of android onto their phone

They would have no idea what that even means.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#86

Post by lukeschlather » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:42 PM UTC

potatolicious wrote: post #42

Steko wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's easy in July 2012 for Linus (or whoever) to say "why mess with stock android" as if it's always been as good as 4.1. These layers were built not just for differentiation but for base functionality/gloss that stock eclair/froyo/gingerbread lacked. And try not to be shocked but many users preferred those ui layers and those phones way outsold the stock phones head to head. Also it's vaguely relevant to remember th…

This is a nonsensical analysis - there was a single stock phone on the market at any one time, which was always sold unlocked at full-price directly from Google, with little to no marketing. Compared with the "customized" Android phones which were the subject of international marketing campaigns, deeply discounted with contracts, etc etc. The notion that customized-UI phones outsold the stock, barely public-knowledge…

The Droid 1 was stock, and it was a great phone. I'm sorry Motorola started skinning it.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#87

Post by lukeschlather » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:43 PM UTC

fierarul wrote: post #7

fsckin wrote: post #4

Quick Google+ comment - it crashes Mobile Safari like nothing else. I can't even get to the content here.

Yes, this has been going on for ages. I blame both Apple and Google.

I blame Google. They are spending way too much time on the JavaScript for what should be basically a static HTML page. Why isn't my spacebar working to pagedown? It's amazing they're getting adoption from techies.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#88

Post by vvhn » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:44 PM UTC

w1ntermute wrote: post #78

yummyfajitas wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lenovo certainly does compete on quality, it just aims for a different set of quality seekers. Apple targets people who want their computer to look pretty. Lenovo targets the people who want to get stuff done. Want to quickly scroll through a document? page up/page down/home/end buttons? Lenovo's got it. Want to change the volume easily and still have access to f1-f12? Lenovo's got dedicated buttons for it. Spill you…

> Need more battery life? Buy a second battery and swap them when the first runs out. Need more ram? Just open it up and put it in. Same thing if you want a new HD/etc. This is one of the biggest factors for me in getting a PC laptop over a MacBook. When I buy a ThinkPad, I intend to keep it for 5 years. My friends with MacBooks all replace them every 2-3 years. > Combine this with great linux support [1] and Lenovo…

> This is another big factor. I tell anyone who's interested in Linux that the best laptop for Linux is a ThinkPad. Everything works flawlessly out of the box.

I wonder what Linus Torvalds uses as a laptop ... Oh noes !!!

http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/an-interview-with-millenium...

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#89

Post by jebblue » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:54 PM UTC

progrock wrote: post #56

Andrenid wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm another linux fan that just did NOT see the appeal to an "oversized phone", and also got burned by how crappy earlier versions of Android were. I've ignored all the tablets that came out, iPads, Android tablets, all of them... then when I saw this one, I figured "at that price, i'll give it a shot"... I'm SO glad I did. Absolutely loving my Nexus 7, and it has 100% converted me to being a tablet fan.

I'd almost buy one. No HDMI out, no SDMicro slot, and no USB support, has put me off until the next thing better comes along. I'm annoyed that Google has crippled this device.

Same here, I wanted to buy one then found out it had no USB device support.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#90

Post by primatology » Sat, Jul 21, 2012, 3:57 PM UTC

yummyfajitas wrote: post #77

generalk wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple targets people who want their computer to look pretty. > Lenovo targets the people who want to get stuff done. I'm no Apple fanboy, but this statement's ridiculous. > Want to quickly scroll through a document? page up/page down/home/end buttons? Lenovo's got it. Two-finger inertial scrolling on the amazing glass trackpad. Or, Command-arrow keys. Same effect. Not one-button, but it's not like the functionality…

I wasn't claiming a macbook can't scroll. I was just claiming that Lenovo has a lot of features that don't necessarily look pretty, but which make it easy to actually use the damn thing on an everyday basis. Fewer buttons isn't necessarily better nor is it even simpler. The simplest thing in the world is a "do exactly what I want" button for every common value of "what I want". It's not pretty or as easy to market or…

The only time I've ever used a function key (F1, F2) in a Mac application was in Photoshop. Most Mac applications use Cmd+? shortcuts. So in effect, the volume/brightness controls have their own dedicated keys.