2 ms·

I don't have a Smartphone, but I can relate to the basic notion very much. I mainly do desktop computing, and lots of it, but pretty much all I ever need are fo

by kleiba 15y ago

I don't have a Smartphone, but I can relate to the basic notion very much. I mainly do desktop computing, and lots of it, but pretty much all I ever need are four "apps": the shell, a browser, an email client, and Emacs. That's what I use 95% of the time. Then a PDF viewer, OpenOffice.org, and every now and then the Gimp or Inkscape. So basically, 10 apps is all I need, too. But at the same time, if I scroll through synaptics there are many, many packages that I have installed over the years. Most of them I probably used only once or twice, unless they're libraries. But for those couple of times, it was great having the "ecosystem" to get them with a simple click. So I suppose it's always a mixture: the 10 apps you use 95% of the time should rock. But the remaining 5% should be painless, too.

dave1010uk 15y ago
FYI, as the N9 is based on Debian, most of the programs you mentioned should run on it. I use OpenOffice.org and The Gimp occasionally on my phone if I really need to (the 3.5" screen is not ideal but it works).
- kleiba 15y ago
  Cool! Is it possible to attach a screen, a mouse and a keyboard to a Smartphone? That should be fun...
  - dave1010uk 15y ago
    Phones that support USB host (or USB on the go) could have a keyboard / mouse. I've done that with my N900. I don't think the N9 supports USB host out of the box but I bet some enterprising hackers will get it working. The N9 also has TV out (but not HDMI). You could, alternatively, connect the keyboard / mouse via USB. Nokia's N8 has USB host and HDMI out but runs the Symbian platform. Here's a demo of the N8 connected to a TV & a keyboard / mouse: http://dailymobile.se/2010/10/07/nokia-n8-hdmi-bluetooth-keyboardmouse-win/ http://dailymobile.se/2010/10/07/nokia-n8-hdmi-bluetooth-key...
    - kleiba 15y ago
      That sounds mighty cool, thanks for the info.
kleiba 15y ago
Thinking about it, I guess my way of counting was a bit unfair: when I say "the shell" I didn't say that I use it to run lots of other programs from it. So I should probably include lots of stuff under /bin and /usr/bin that I use all the time without thinking about them as separate from the shell. Or what about "ssh"... I guess, perhaps desktop computing - especially when you're a hacker - is more different from (casually?) using a Smartphone than I first thought.

by kleiba 15y ago

dave1010uk 15y ago

FYI, as the N9 is based on Debian, most of the programs you mentioned should run on it. I use OpenOffice.org and The Gimp occasionally on my phone if I really need to (the 3.5" screen is not ideal but it works).

kleiba 15y ago
Cool! Is it possible to attach a screen, a mouse and a keyboard to a Smartphone? That should be fun...
- dave1010uk 15y ago
  Phones that support USB host (or USB on the go) could have a keyboard / mouse. I've done that with my N900. I don't think the N9 supports USB host out of the box but I bet some enterprising hackers will get it working. The N9 also has TV out (but not HDMI). You could, alternatively, connect the keyboard / mouse via USB. Nokia's N8 has USB host and HDMI out but runs the Symbian platform. Here's a demo of the N8 connected to a TV & a keyboard / mouse: http://dailymobile.se/2010/10/07/nokia-n8-hdmi-bluetooth-keyboardmouse-win/ http://dailymobile.se/2010/10/07/nokia-n8-hdmi-bluetooth-key...
  - kleiba 15y ago
    That sounds mighty cool, thanks for the info.

kleiba 15y ago

Thinking about it, I guess my way of counting was a bit unfair: when I say "the shell" I didn't say that I use it to run lots of other programs from it. So I should probably include lots of stuff under /bin and /usr/bin that I use all the time without thinking about them as separate from the shell. Or what about "ssh"... I guess, perhaps desktop computing - especially when you're a hacker - is more different from (casually?) using a Smartphone than I first thought.