classic hacker news thread on new tech: i only learned negative things.
Android Oreo
321–330 of 658 posts
Re: Android Oreo
#322Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why is it tied to the OS version, though? I would (naively) think it's a matter of just sending the new font as an OTA update?
Given that it's apparently a fairly compelling feature for many consumer end users, maybe it's a way of convincing OEMs and carriers and to actually deliver updates.
There's the EmojiCompat library that can be used now by apps to support the full set in previous versions of the OS: https://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/look-and-feel/...
So it looks like it's not a "ploy", but an actual technical reason. Baffles me.
Re: Android Oreo
#323Project Treble is the most important thing in this release >The biggest change to the foundations of Android to date: a modular architecture that makes it easier and faster for hardware makers to deliver Android updates. With any luck, this will end the huge security/update problem Android has. Right now an update is dependent on the chip manufacturer's drivers, then the OEM adding them to the ROM with their custom "…
As I commented in another HN story, I don't believe OEMs and telecom operators will release updates, if Google doesn't force them to do so. They already admitted on the ADB Podcast that they don't want to remove the ability for OEMs and mobile operators to customize their forks of Android. We will still be forced to buy new devices even if they are VTS certified.
I agree. There are two parts to the Android update problem. I'd wager OEMs having no motivation to release updates is bigger than them having no ability.
Re: Android Oreo
#324Not saying that everything else is bad, but one thing that strikes me is how much they have run out of interesting things now that they had to use fillers[1] like: Tooltips Support for tooltips (small popup windows with descriptive text) for views and menu items. Normally, this would be relegated to a git changelog in the support library. But this is on the global marketing landing page. I like to imagine a fictional…
To be fair, I have an iPhone and I'm still waiting for the "remotely sane text selection" feature to ship. Just in case you think this is hyperbole: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhWz7rMj56Y
Most of that doesn't happen in Brave, fwiw.
Re: Android Oreo
#325I know this is a non-issue for many, but those emojis look really dated. Every update they get harder and harder to read in small form. One of the things I observe, mainly on Instagram Stories is only people with iOS post with emojis attached, I never see Android ones. Too bad there is no way to install custom emojis in any system (without rooting/registry tweaking), like we do with fonts.
Personally, I find it kind of ridiculous that new emojis are considered flagship features of mobile OS updates. I'd think that it would be possible to decouple emoji updates from kernel/security updates, so I imagine that Android/iOS tie them to the OS updates solely as a way to motivate non-technical users to update.
Mobile OS's aren't just for grumpy old people.
Re: Android Oreo
#326Earlier quoted context omitted.
Supposedly the carriers are real pains as well. I've heard horror stories of months-long approvals processes on Verizon and AT&T ROMs. It's a game I wish they'd get out of entirely. There's no such thing as a useful carrier overlay.
Probably because they have to test the ROMs on their network in different regions, with different frequency bands, with roaming, etc. That work is tedious given all of the phones they support.
The iPhone doesn't suffer from this problem. It should be up to the phone manufacturer (HTC, Samsung, etc.) to test their product.
The carrier can still, of course, test the new firmware all they like - they just shouldn't be able to interfere with its release.
Re: Android Oreo
#327Earlier quoted context omitted.
So you're upset about not having enough niche power-user knobs, so you're going to a device that has basically zero power-user knobs? How does that make any sense? Why not just flash an AOSP-based ROM that does what you want, which Google officially supports for their devices?
Exactly. I need to customize, so I'll go to Apple, the most user-infantilizing software company on the face of the planet, world-renowned for their repeated refusal to let users tweak the user experience of their $1000 phones on the grounds that some people in a board room in Cupertino know what's best for you better than you do.
They usually know better. I've been iPhone user for 6 years and I've never wanted to customize something. Android, on the other hand, would need a complete customization, redesign and rewrite which I don't have time to do.
Re: Android Oreo
#328Really sad about the loss of the blob emojis. Will probably have to root my phone to use a third party emoji switcher app to preserve them.
And it's not that the new emojis are all necessarily bad. My issue is confusion over what the recipient will see when I select one of the new emojis. I'm still not 100% clear on the emoji set mapping between OEMs/OSes. :-/
One can use https://emojipedia.org/ if one knows the recepient's device. While there's still cultural impact, i.e. is a praying emoji or high five? Or is laughing or whining?
Re: Android Oreo
#329Earlier quoted context omitted.
I remember many years ago when a few carrier and chipset execs stood up on Google I/O stage and announced a new program to ensure Android devices get updated quicker. Nothing came out of that. The proof here will be when they ship. Thankfully, 'Google Play Services' and distributing more and more services through the Play Store is a step in the right direction.
> I remember many years ago when a few carrier and chipset execs stood up on Google I/O stage and announced a new program to ensure Android devices get updated quicker. Nothing came out of that Google remembers that too, and this change allows Google to bypass those same execs when pushing out updates. The HAL layer will not change from version to version, meaning no driver support will be required from the OEM for n…
They were supposed to not put any user app on the system partition but rather install them using play services when the user logs in. I've only seen one device implement it and it was a low end device so it kind of choked anyway.
Re: Android Oreo
#330Not saying that everything else is bad, but one thing that strikes me is how much they have run out of interesting things now that they had to use fillers[1] like: Tooltips Support for tooltips (small popup windows with descriptive text) for views and menu items. Normally, this would be relegated to a git changelog in the support library. But this is on the global marketing landing page. I like to imagine a fictional…
How do tooltips even work on a touch based OS?