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Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

maruos.com

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Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#91

Post by ashishb »

bsimpson wrote: post #23

It's interesting that in the early 2010s, both halves of the ecosystem were talking about "convergence:" Ubuntu wanted to make its Linux render a single column on a handset and with floating windows on a larger screen. Motorola had a similar project based on Android. A dozen years later, nobody has done that well. Ubuntu gave up. Mobile-targeted Linux distributions aren't good (missing functionality, mobile UX, or bo…

In the long term markets usually specialize https://ashishb.net/tech/the-android-chrome-merger-saga/

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#92

Post by Terr_ »

SlowTao wrote: post #74
stego-tech wrote: post #51

Bill Gates spoke of this context-aware OS at a lecture in the mid-00s. He specifically called out future phones (this was pre-iPhone era) that would have location context (work/home/mobile) and load secure, sandboxed datastores and profiles depending on that context. He also spoke at length about how desktop computers would transform into accelerators, like your gaming GPU at home or your additional processors and me…

One step ahead is innovation, two steps ahead is a martyr. Microsoft is a lot of the time two steps ahead, but the technology and/or the people are not ready for it. Hasnt harmed their product Microsoft Profit (TM) too much however.

> One step ahead is innovation, two steps ahead is a martyr.

IMO people constantly mischaracterize progress as Great New Inventions By an Innovative Figure, when it's almost always something people already tried (and failed at) years before, and the difference is luck or some surrounding context improves.

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#93

Post by wishfish »

dcminter wrote: post #44
doebler wrote: post #3

> Simply plug your phone into an HDMI screen, connect up a keyboard and mouse, and you’ve got a lightweight desktop experience you can take anywhere. No, I can't take it anywhere, because few places I go to have a HDMI screen and keyboard ready for me. And to the ones they do, I carry my laptop.

The use case for me is mostly hotel stays. When travelling for fun I don't particularly want the weight (and risk) of packing my laptop, but I would like to be able to play movies and music on the hotel TV. With a cheap light keyboard I could also do email and similar light admin things with the benefit of the bigger screen. Until recently I was also travelling frequently for work with a heavy MacBook running a varie…

This is why my iPad Mini is my main travel device. Small enough that it fits in my pockets. But the screen is big enough that it's comfortable to use. More comfortable than the Pro Max. Have a cheap bluetooth keyboard with integrated stand so the mini can be used as a laptop. Take the mini with me when I go places and leave the keyboard in the hotel. Would make me sad if someone stole the keyboard but it's a far smaller loss than if a laptop was stolen. Gives me a more peace of mind.

If only the Mini had true 4k output, it would be absolutely perfect. But it only does screen mirroring which limits it when plugged into a monitor or hotel television.

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#94

Post by Ray20 »

gt0 wrote: post #81

For me these efforts feel like a solution to a problem very few people have. People who want a portable computer have settled on laptops. The people who want a portable computer, which needs access to a screen, keyboard, mouse and desk, just seems like a very small niche. Even when you get that computer set up, you end up with something quite slow with limited RAM and storage, unless you've bought a real flagship pho…

On the contrary, I think that this problem has such a simple and obvious solution that you even have to wonder why it hasn't been solved yet.

In essence, the hardware completely allows you to have a device that can connect to a monitor via USB, connect to a keyboard via Bluetooth and function as a full-fledged computer.

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#95

Post by fsflover »

bsimpson wrote: post #90
jklinger410 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GNOME is still plugging away at this, making sure their entire OS is usable on mobile. Even without a market or audience.

Both impressively and disappointingly, that seems to be literally one guy in Germany. https://gitlab.gnome.org/verdre/gnome-shell-mobile relevant https://xkcd.com/2347/

Purism company contributed a lot to mobile Gnome UI.

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#96

Post by fsflover »

gt0 wrote: post #81

For me these efforts feel like a solution to a problem very few people have. People who want a portable computer have settled on laptops. The people who want a portable computer, which needs access to a screen, keyboard, mouse and desk, just seems like a very small niche. Even when you get that computer set up, you end up with something quite slow with limited RAM and storage, unless you've bought a real flagship pho…

> a problem very few people have

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44727972

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#97

Post by technocrat8080 »

doebler wrote: post #3

> Simply plug your phone into an HDMI screen, connect up a keyboard and mouse, and you’ve got a lightweight desktop experience you can take anywhere. No, I can't take it anywhere, because few places I go to have a HDMI screen and keyboard ready for me. And to the ones they do, I carry my laptop.

Why can't the phone itself act as the input device? Sure it's not a full-fledged keyboard, but it could work wonderfully in a pinch.

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#98

Post by crazygringo »

Almondsetat wrote: post #78
stego-tech wrote: post #51

Bill Gates spoke of this context-aware OS at a lecture in the mid-00s. He specifically called out future phones (this was pre-iPhone era) that would have location context (work/home/mobile) and load secure, sandboxed datastores and profiles depending on that context. He also spoke at length about how desktop computers would transform into accelerators, like your gaming GPU at home or your additional processors and me…

Man, that would be great. Imagine going out for a walk with just your smartwatch. Then you go back home and you insert the watch into a phone case and it gives it more RAM and CPU power and it becomes your phone and you go out again. Then when you come back you put it inside your big box and now you have a computer. All with the same accounts, OS, apps.

I mean, we already basically have that but even more convenient -- you don't need to have a watch-shaped hole in your phone, or a phone-shaped slot in your computer.

I already use all the same accounts and apps and data across my watch, phone, and computer. I don't particularly want to take my watch off to use my phone, or put my phone away to use my computer though.

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#99

Post by Telemakhos »

cardanome wrote: post #54
bsimpson wrote: post #23

It's interesting that in the early 2010s, both halves of the ecosystem were talking about "convergence:" Ubuntu wanted to make its Linux render a single column on a handset and with floating windows on a larger screen. Motorola had a similar project based on Android. A dozen years later, nobody has done that well. Ubuntu gave up. Mobile-targeted Linux distributions aren't good (missing functionality, mobile UX, or bo…

> Recent iterations of iOS are getting closer to being able to replace a Mac for a class of tablet-owning users who don't need desktop software, but the ecosystems are pretty well separated for most. Yeah, apple could solve that instantly. Sadly, they decided to play a cash cow strategy of milking existing users instead for trying to grow market share. Apple is so frustrating. Amazing hardware but then they complete…

I know for a fact that many university students are using iPad OS instead of macOS now, especially for less typing-intensive stuff like chemistry. You might be surprised how much of college runs in the browser now.

Re: Maru OS – Use your phone as your PC

#100

Post by prmoustache »

bsimpson wrote: post #23

It's interesting that in the early 2010s, both halves of the ecosystem were talking about "convergence:" Ubuntu wanted to make its Linux render a single column on a handset and with floating windows on a larger screen. Motorola had a similar project based on Android. A dozen years later, nobody has done that well. Ubuntu gave up. Mobile-targeted Linux distributions aren't good (missing functionality, mobile UX, or bo…

I think the true reason is that onñy a small fraction of people are interested in convergence and most people are fine, or even truly desire, to have different devices and experiences.

Millions (billions?) of people are happy to leave their phone in another room when working on their computer and vice-versa. Sure you could use a do not disturb button but it would be a major PITA to have enough granularity to allow or disallow certain app/services to notify you and you would be certain to forget to activate/deactivate it when you really want.

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