4 ms·

iPad-only is the new desktop Linux

18 points by LaSombra 10y ago

benologist 10y ago
I think Chrome OS is more likely since it's got a full desktop browser (aka inspector etc) and it's getting Android apps. Surface-like hybrids running Chrome OS with the Play Store will be $1xx+ next year, even without that their sales are growing and younger generations are already using Chromebooks with browser-based workflows in schools where the iPad ended up embarrassing everyone involved. The Android ecosystem puts the entire x86 ecosystem within reach including a bunch of Windows apps through a commercial version of Wine that has already been able to install the Windows version of Steam and games. Underneath the hood it really is Linux and open source and accessible by design. This time next year it will be a serious alternative to Windows, in addition to a much cheaper alternative to iPads. External GPUs and VR etc will probably work with Chrome OS years before iOS has any reason to support them as they have no software ecosystem around it.
- chipotle_coyote 10y ago
  My comparison between going iPad-only and using Linux on the desktop was more about suggesting that both appeal to people who like to figure out how to do things that may be a bit more complicated in their chosen environment than they are in mainstream ones. (I'm aware desktop Linux is easier to use these days, but it seemed to be a good analogy. I wasn't really intending it as a slam against either Linux or iOS.) So I think you're actually making a case for a somewhat different point. :) But it's a very interesting comment. I haven't really been keeping track of Chromebook development, but I know it's rapidly growing in school use, which can be immensely valuable. The iPad can do very well in an educational setting, but Apple so far hasn't been willing to make the compromises necessary to keep it competitive with Chromebooks. (That's something they used to take much more seriously than people might remember: there was actually an "eMac" model only available to the education market for a while!)
  - benologist 10y ago
    I skimmed your article the first time, sorry. I just spent a bunch of time thinking about them both as desktop alternatives too before all but replacing my MBP with a Chromebox heh.
  - technofiend 10y ago
    Hey, interesting article. I can tell you I don't use Linux because I like a challenge. I use it because I trust it and have control over what it does. Don't like Ubuntu's sending searches to Amazon? Turn it off. Don't like Chrome? Switch to Firefox. Don't want to apply security changes right now? Click cancel. I use Linux because it's not Windows. As a fellow Scrivener user trust me I was deeply saddened when Literature and Latte dropped support for my favorite platform; I realize I'm in the minority with this view about Linux and for that matter Android. Which is too bad because Android addresses your other complaint about controlling which app handles an action. Android's Intents allow multiple apps to register their ability to handle given user requests and unless the user explicitly chooses a default an app chooser presents the user with the list of apps to satisfy the current request. Want your PDF to go to a viewer this time and editor next time? No problem. This control is most obvious when you click the share option in any program - you get a long list of other programs and delivery options. E-mail this time, text the next, publish to instagram the one after that. It's one of the things I like about Android most versus Apple's walled garden.
johnwheeler 10y ago
I have my own theories on why people want to make Linux / iOS their desktop. People use Linux because they grew to hate Windows (and/or appreciate Linux) when OS X wasn’t really an alternative. One factor in that might be that not everyone can afford a Mac. Also, when I got into Linux, it gave me a sense of pride, and I felt like I was part of the hacker culture (not black/white hat hacking but Facebook / Eric S. Raymond hacking). I think that’s a motivation too. It’s is (or was) _cool_ to use Linux at one point. People go out of their ways to adapt to iOS because they like the idea of running their lives on a small, svelte device. It makes them feel more autonomous in ways desktops and phones can’t. The technology isn’t there yet (as you mention).
tomwilson 10y ago
Haven't those "each file is a copy inside the app" issues been solved since iOS9 with the document provider extension?

18 points by LaSombra 10y ago

I think Chrome OS is more likely since it's got a full desktop browser (aka inspector etc) and it's getting Android apps. Surface-like hybrids running Chrome OS with the Play Store will be $1xx+ next year, even without that their sales are growing and younger generations are already using Chromebooks with browser-based workflows in schools where the iPad ended up embarrassing everyone involved. The Android ecosystem puts the entire x86 ecosystem within reach including a bunch of Windows apps through a commercial version of Wine that has already been able to install the Windows version of Steam and games. Underneath the hood it really is Linux and open source and accessible by design. This time next year it will be a serious alternative to Windows, in addition to a much cheaper alternative to iPads. External GPUs and VR etc will probably work with Chrome OS years before iOS has any reason to support them as they have no software ecosystem around it.

chipotle_coyote 10y ago
My comparison between going iPad-only and using Linux on the desktop was more about suggesting that both appeal to people who like to figure out how to do things that may be a bit more complicated in their chosen environment than they are in mainstream ones. (I'm aware desktop Linux is easier to use these days, but it seemed to be a good analogy. I wasn't really intending it as a slam against either Linux or iOS.) So I think you're actually making a case for a somewhat different point. :) But it's a very interesting comment. I haven't really been keeping track of Chromebook development, but I know it's rapidly growing in school use, which can be immensely valuable. The iPad can do very well in an educational setting, but Apple so far hasn't been willing to make the compromises necessary to keep it competitive with Chromebooks. (That's something they used to take much more seriously than people might remember: there was actually an "eMac" model only available to the education market for a while!)
- benologist 10y ago
  I skimmed your article the first time, sorry. I just spent a bunch of time thinking about them both as desktop alternatives too before all but replacing my MBP with a Chromebox heh.
- technofiend 10y ago
  Hey, interesting article. I can tell you I don't use Linux because I like a challenge. I use it because I trust it and have control over what it does. Don't like Ubuntu's sending searches to Amazon? Turn it off. Don't like Chrome? Switch to Firefox. Don't want to apply security changes right now? Click cancel. I use Linux because it's not Windows. As a fellow Scrivener user trust me I was deeply saddened when Literature and Latte dropped support for my favorite platform; I realize I'm in the minority with this view about Linux and for that matter Android. Which is too bad because Android addresses your other complaint about controlling which app handles an action. Android's Intents allow multiple apps to register their ability to handle given user requests and unless the user explicitly chooses a default an app chooser presents the user with the list of apps to satisfy the current request. Want your PDF to go to a viewer this time and editor next time? No problem. This control is most obvious when you click the share option in any program - you get a long list of other programs and delivery options. E-mail this time, text the next, publish to instagram the one after that. It's one of the things I like about Android most versus Apple's walled garden.

johnwheeler 10y ago

I have my own theories on why people want to make Linux / iOS their desktop. People use Linux because they grew to hate Windows (and/or appreciate Linux) when OS X wasn’t really an alternative. One factor in that might be that not everyone can afford a Mac. Also, when I got into Linux, it gave me a sense of pride, and I felt like I was part of the hacker culture (not black/white hat hacking but Facebook / Eric S. Raymond hacking). I think that’s a motivation too. It’s is (or was) _cool_ to use Linux at one point. People go out of their ways to adapt to iOS because they like the idea of running their lives on a small, svelte device. It makes them feel more autonomous in ways desktops and phones can’t. The technology isn’t there yet (as you mention).

tomwilson 10y ago

Haven't those "each file is a copy inside the app" issues been solved since iOS9 with the document provider extension?