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Paper is the real 'killer app'

bbc.com

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Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#11

Post by ghaff »

yrio wrote: post #8

For writing text, I prefer to type on a computer because I can easily rearrange / edit things. You can't do that on paper. I prefer paper for drawing though (diagrams / flowchart / etc). Has anyone tried using drawing tablet like Wacom? How does it feel compared to drawing on paper?

Traditional Wacom tablets are IMO awful. Some people do get used to them but not having direct feedback of what you've written just doesn't work naturally.

A tablet, especially one like the iPad Pro with the Pencil is much better but still doesn't work as well as just sketching on a piece of paper for me. I assume if I applied myself to using a tablet more though, I'd get used to it. Clearly people with a lot more drawing ability than myself can do great work on tablets.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#13

Post by skrebbel »

amelius wrote: post #12

It lacks a good undo/redo feature. Unless you scan your work, erase stuff on your computer, and then print it.

I warmly recommend a mechanical pencil with a relatively soft lead and a little eraser on the back. If you write softly with soft lead, erasing is very little effort.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#15

Post by jrapdx3 »

ghaff wrote: post #11
yrio wrote: post #8

For writing text, I prefer to type on a computer because I can easily rearrange / edit things. You can't do that on paper. I prefer paper for drawing though (diagrams / flowchart / etc). Has anyone tried using drawing tablet like Wacom? How does it feel compared to drawing on paper?

Traditional Wacom tablets are IMO awful. Some people do get used to them but not having direct feedback of what you've written just doesn't work naturally. A tablet, especially one like the iPad Pro with the Pencil is much better but still doesn't work as well as just sketching on a piece of paper for me. I assume if I applied myself to using a tablet more though, I'd get used to it. Clearly people with a lot more dr…

Yeah, Wacom tablets were/are great and terrible at the same time. I've used them on and off for a long time, and they really are great for drawing, but there's a learning curve to be sure. Actually I liked the older Wacoms better than some new ones I've tries out. The ancient "cursor" device was mouse-like, but used in absolute mode was great for some tasks where keeping it in the same place enabled keeping the pointer on the screen in a predictable spot.

Actually the newer touch/stylus screens on tablets like the MS Surface models I've used are harder for me to use with the stylus. Manipulating the stylus is harder due to parallax and the fact that the tool and hand covers up part of the screen. Just doesn't seem as "natural" to me as the old drawing tablet.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#16

Post by [deleted] »

ghaff wrote: post #11
yrio wrote: post #8

For writing text, I prefer to type on a computer because I can easily rearrange / edit things. You can't do that on paper. I prefer paper for drawing though (diagrams / flowchart / etc). Has anyone tried using drawing tablet like Wacom? How does it feel compared to drawing on paper?

Traditional Wacom tablets are IMO awful. Some people do get used to them but not having direct feedback of what you've written just doesn't work naturally. A tablet, especially one like the iPad Pro with the Pencil is much better but still doesn't work as well as just sketching on a piece of paper for me. I assume if I applied myself to using a tablet more though, I'd get used to it. Clearly people with a lot more dr…

[deleted]

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#18

Post by jventura »

I've never had much success with digital todo lists, so I've never stoped using pen and paper to schedule what I have to do.

On my current system I have a math notebook (A5 format) where I dump everything I have to do on the left (or right) non-writable areas of the page, and then everyday I write what I have to do for the next day on the writable area. I try to add for each day at least one of those items on the left/right side, and each day I try not to add more than 2/3 items per day.

The reason that this works for me is that I try to have a very simple life, fulfill my daily obligations, and try to have as much free time as I can get. I do not need automatic systems to search my pending tasks way back in time because if those tasks don't "migrate" to the current page of the notebook, it's because they are not much relevant.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#19

Post by FroshKiller »

lawless123 wrote: post #5

I always find it far easier when working on personal software projects to sketch out ideas on a notepad. From drawings to pseudocode it all seems far easier.

When I get assigned a new feature to implement, I take the spec and write out my plan for implementation in longhand on paper. It makes me spend more time considering every aspect.

Re: Paper is the real 'killer app'

#20

Post by icebraining »

philippoi wrote: post #6

Not really technology-free; retrogressive rather.

Yeah, it's always interesting how we stop considering certain things as "technology" once enough time passes. Yet anyone reading I, Pencil would be hard pressed to consider it an unprocessed product of the Earth.
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