2 ms·

This has worked in cycles between thin and fat clients since computers started. We're not in a post-device era any more than we were in a post-server era as mai

by delecti 10y ago

This has worked in cycles between thin and fat clients since computers started. We're not in a post-device era any more than we were in a post-server era as mainframes gave way to PCs.

freehunter 10y ago
And the line between "device" and "PC" is blurring more and more, as well as the line between "thin" and "fat" clients. When I'm using an app on my phone, I have no idea if any of the workload is being done on my phone or in the cloud. With services like iCloud, I start something on my phone and finish it seamlessly on my Mac, then display it on my iPad without doing a single thing to make this happen. It just happens. When I take a picture on my iPhone, it's on OneDrive within minutes. When I need to write something in Word, I go to word.office.com and it downloads the Word application and runs it in my browser, deleting it as soon as I close the page. What's really happening is terms like "device" and "PC" or "thin client" vs "fat client" are becoming useless as technology converges more and more, as computers become "fast enough" that we don't need more and more computing power every day. Devices have become powerful enough that they can take their place along side PCs, rather than replacing them. The TV didn't replace the radio. The computer didn't replace the TV. TVs just got smarter, and radio found its specialty and they enjoy a life side by side with the more advanced technologies.
jasonkostempski 10y ago
Thinking about the behavior in the mobile market drives me insane. When the tech is hard to make small, we go for the smallest possible devices. When it's easy to make small we go for the biggest possible devices in the name of screen size. When storage is finally pennies per GB with super small media, we loose removable media slots and accept paying $100 per storage tier and then pay even more to store everything in the cloud. I'm hoping eventually we'll hit a cycle where 4" screens, removable batteries, removable SD and hardware keyboard comes back in style and is available in an unlocked phone that can run Cyanogenmod. If that happens, I'll buy 3 of them with a life time supply of batteries.
- marcosdumay 10y ago
  My current phone has the optimum width and height to fit in a pocket. I wouldn't look for any one with a very different size. Although it could be thicker if it comes with some gain, making it thinner wouldn't be of any use for me. I also would loss nothing if it weighted twice as much. By the way, it has a removable battery and SD. I'd get a hardware keyboard only if it did not reduce the screen. But that is me. My wife, for example prefer smaller phones because she does not carry it in a pocket. Outside of the Apple realm, phones have some diversity. And while manufacturers completely refuse to offer some features (like big batteries) for reasonable prices, one is able to get approximately what he wants.

by delecti 10y ago

This has worked in cycles between thin and fat clients since computers started. We're not in a post-device era any more than we were in a post-server era as mainframes gave way to PCs.

freehunter 10y ago

And the line between "device" and "PC" is blurring more and more, as well as the line between "thin" and "fat" clients. When I'm using an app on my phone, I have no idea if any of the workload is being done on my phone or in the cloud. With services like iCloud, I start something on my phone and finish it seamlessly on my Mac, then display it on my iPad without doing a single thing to make this happen. It just happens. When I take a picture on my iPhone, it's on OneDrive within minutes. When I need to write something in Word, I go to word.office.com and it downloads the Word application and runs it in my browser, deleting it as soon as I close the page. What's really happening is terms like "device" and "PC" or "thin client" vs "fat client" are becoming useless as technology converges more and more, as computers become "fast enough" that we don't need more and more computing power every day. Devices have become powerful enough that they can take their place along side PCs, rather than replacing them. The TV didn't replace the radio. The computer didn't replace the TV. TVs just got smarter, and radio found its specialty and they enjoy a life side by side with the more advanced technologies.

jasonkostempski 10y ago

Thinking about the behavior in the mobile market drives me insane. When the tech is hard to make small, we go for the smallest possible devices. When it's easy to make small we go for the biggest possible devices in the name of screen size. When storage is finally pennies per GB with super small media, we loose removable media slots and accept paying $100 per storage tier and then pay even more to store everything in the cloud. I'm hoping eventually we'll hit a cycle where 4" screens, removable batteries, removable SD and hardware keyboard comes back in style and is available in an unlocked phone that can run Cyanogenmod. If that happens, I'll buy 3 of them with a life time supply of batteries.

marcosdumay 10y ago
My current phone has the optimum width and height to fit in a pocket. I wouldn't look for any one with a very different size. Although it could be thicker if it comes with some gain, making it thinner wouldn't be of any use for me. I also would loss nothing if it weighted twice as much. By the way, it has a removable battery and SD. I'd get a hardware keyboard only if it did not reduce the screen. But that is me. My wife, for example prefer smaller phones because she does not carry it in a pocket. Outside of the Apple realm, phones have some diversity. And while manufacturers completely refuse to offer some features (like big batteries) for reasonable prices, one is able to get approximately what he wants.