Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Android’s desktop interface leaks

9to5google.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

281–290 of 393 posts

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#281

Post by seabrookmx »

pjmlp wrote: post #54
fooqux wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't say that. Software support for Linux is a chicken and egg problem. No software because there's no users because there's no software. Proton helps fix the users part. If a critical mass is accomplished, that can have real long-term impact.

Helps as much as it helped OS/2.

Is that a fair comparison? It seems like people have a compelling reason to use Linux (hardware compatibility, avoiding MS spyware, price, etc). I admit it was before my time, but what was the draw for OS/2? Even it's technical superiority to Windows was gone as soon as NT dropped right?

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#282

Post by gf000 »

joe_mamba wrote: post #107
drecked wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is mistaken in a few way. 1. In 3rd world countries everyone has a phone, usually android, no matter how poor the are. Irrespective of whether or not it has desktop capabilities. So any phone purchase is already part of their baseline expenses. 2. Any desktop/laptop purchase, even if it is $1, is an extra $1. 3. The screens/keyboards/mouse again will not likely be purchased by individuals themselves. They will h…

>This is mistaken in a few way. Only when you ignore the numbers. >1. [...] So any phone purchase is already part of their baseline expenses. Yeah but that base line expense can be 50$ or $300. Big difference. Not everyone in 3rd world countries has 300 for a Pixel 8. That's the biggest flaw in your argument. That, and the fact that walking around with an exotic 300$ Pixel 8 flags you as a potential target for muggin…

The pixel 8 costs that much now. Give it a few years and check back on it later (when this feature actually drops) and the phone might end up being much more affordable.

Nonetheless, I do agree with you that simply getting a used low-end laptop is cheaper, but being poor in a GDP/capita way is not the only kind of blocker. Being poor in a "my family can buy me a phone because it's a necessity, but we don't have a computer" is not uncommon, and many people end up developing on their phone, simply because that's what they have.

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#283

Post by bloqs »

bigwheels wrote: post #219
jeroenhd wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Resell the 8GB of RAM and buy an even better phone then? That's 150 euros of value right there. Then use the money on a reputable second hand store to buy a used S20 5G 128GB for 150 euros, or a S22 128GB for 145, maybe an S21 Ultra 5G 256GB for 139, and you've got yourself a valiant workstation already (Samsung DeX works great out of the box, no need to wait for Google here). I can also find an S20+ 5G 128GB for 75…

Where is the $150 euros coming from? 8GB of brand new DDR3 or DDR4 is available for $20-$30 from Amazon / Fleabay, and once he sells it the laptop will no longer work.

Phones also have ram

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#284

Post by olyjohn »

jeroenhd wrote: post #210
joe_mamba wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This looks like it will help a lot of students and families who are on a budget. If you can just plug your phone into a screen you do not need to buy a separate laptop anymore. Except that android phones with display output are mostly flagships with flagship prices. But 50 Euros on the used market got me a retired corporate HP/Dell laptop with 1080p screen, intel 8th gen i5 quad core, 8GB RAM and 256GB NVME on which…

Resell the 8GB of RAM and buy an even better phone then? That's 150 euros of value right there. Then use the money on a reputable second hand store to buy a used S20 5G 128GB for 150 euros, or a S22 128GB for 145, maybe an S21 Ultra 5G 256GB for 139, and you've got yourself a valiant workstation already (Samsung DeX works great out of the box, no need to wait for Google here). I can also find an S20+ 5G 128GB for 75…

Why though? You can do so much more with a laptop than be trapped in Google's walled garden.

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#285

Post by ruszki »

modeless wrote: post #179

They ought to put the status bar at the bottom. All the designers using Macs probably forgot, but Chrome's tab interface was designed for Windows where it could be all the way at the top of the screen. And in general it's more common for desktop apps designed for mouse and keyboard to have frequently accessed UI elements at the top of the window than the bottom. So desktop apps would benefit from being able to use th…

I think that the first smartphones were way smaller than today’s ones played a role. They were not that elongated either, the aspect ratio was way closer to a square. I could easily reach the top bar back then. It was definitely not a hurdle. But of course that’s not true for a long time now.

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#286

Post by evolighting »

Windows keeps getting worse, but it's still not as bad as Android. It's like how an iPad with macOS would be great, but a MacBook with iOS would be terrible.

I've been using Fedora part-time and I'm quite happy with it. Although I access the Android ecosystem via Waydroid—which, I know, isn't a true 'Android desktop'—the reality is that few Android apps are actually designed for a desktop experience.

Android makes me feel like it wants to convince me that rooting is considered too dangerous even for advanced users—you have to be a developer to handle it, or you will kill yourself.

But it might be good news for the ARM platform. Given how fragmented ARM is, Windows on ARM has turned out to be an even bigger disaster, making a Linux-based approach a much more promising alternative.

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#287

Post by prmoustache »

nicoburns wrote: post #211
joe_mamba wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>This looks like it will help a lot of students and families who are on a budget. If you can just plug your phone into a screen you do not need to buy a separate laptop anymore. Except that android phones with display output are mostly flagships with flagship prices. But 50 Euros on the used market got me a retired corporate HP/Dell laptop with 1080p screen, intel 8th gen i5 quad core, 8GB RAM and 256GB NVME on which…

> Except that android phones with display output are mostly flagships with flagship prices. Might well be that this becomes a lot more common on cheaper phones if it becomes a popular feature though. A display port output isn't currently that useful, so it's something it makes sense to cut from budget models. But if this desktop functionality becomes popular that calculus may change.

I am pretty sure brands would rather sell you additionnal devices, like tablets or chromebook (will they be called androidbooks?) than make budget models able to do so.

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#288

Post by prmoustache »

drecked wrote: post #104
joe_mamba wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Do you understand how much are 50 bucks in a third world country? Yes I do, no need to patronize us with that since even in 3rd world countries people have access to old computers from ewaste imports at a reasonable price, we don't all live in straw mudhuts wearing loincloths swinging from branch to branch. Now tell me which 50 euro phone ships with display output and is readily available. AFAIK Oneplus 7T I had is…

This is mistaken in a few way. 1. In 3rd world countries everyone has a phone, usually android, no matter how poor the are. Irrespective of whether or not it has desktop capabilities. So any phone purchase is already part of their baseline expenses. 2. Any desktop/laptop purchase, even if it is $1, is an extra $1. 3. The screens/keyboards/mouse again will not likely be purchased by individuals themselves. They will h…

You surely do realize that desktop mode on a smartphone needs a display, a keyboard and a pointer device too right? You can get a decent and complete laptop with 1070p screen for the price of a 720p only TV/Monitor.

Re: Android’s desktop interface leaks

#290

Post by imp0cat »

pjmlp wrote: post #20
realusername wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Samsung Dex still exists and still sucks. It's probably the best desktop experience available on Android but it's nowhere near usable as a daily driver. It feels a like a lightweight window manager from the 2008 era.

It is good enough that a Samsung tablet has replaced my now dead netbook.

Yeah, it is acceptable.
Post reply on HN