4 ms·

I've watched over time as the desktop stopped being the primary computing device of choice for many people. I've grown far too accustomed to the power and flexi

I've watched over time as the desktop stopped being the primary computing device of choice for many people. I've grown far too accustomed to the power and flexibility of a nice keyboard and 32" monitor, and virtually endless storage and general purpose compute that I own to fall into that usage pattern, but I understand the appeal. No Wednesday morning headaches from Microsoft, no applications breaking with the new Python revision, etc. Just apps from the app store that work (mostly). So, the Server Farms that comprise the cloud aren't ancient, but they might as well be remote temples just like those we had in the 1960s.

aj7 4y ago
I don’t think much “computing” is done, in our sense of the word, on tablets and phones. Personally, I’ve found that almost any slightly complex, has-to-be-done-once-and p-right, action is better performed on an actual computer. And that’s not even considering writing new programs.
- Karrot_Kream 4y ago
  This hasn't been my experience. I'm able to be surprisingly effective on my smartphone. I've constructed trip itineraries, balanced outing budgets, shared shopping lists, designed room layouts, computed food and drink recipe ratios, built DJ sets, laid out wood pieces, and read books using my smartphone. Coding is probably the only thing that I find unparalleled with a keyboard and a seated position than my smartphone. I used to game more often when I was younger and I still generally prefer to game in a seated position though I have gamed on my smartphone before.
  - 2fast4you 4y ago
    Really agree. Programming and gaming are the only things I use my laptop for. I have my iPad for CAD and art, everything else I do on my phone. All my trip planning is done on there, all my finances, everything on the phone.
    - eropple 4y ago
      What CAD tools work well on an iPad? I'd love to try it. Fusion 360 is okay on Windows, but it's pretty bad on a Mac.
      - buggy6257 4y ago
        Also very interested in this!
      - code_biologist 4y ago
        I've heard good reviews of Shapr3d on iPad. Can't vouch for it myself, but I've heard positive sentiment.
      - aj7 4y ago
        None. Trust me, you need a mouse.
        eropple 4y ago
        I tend to agree, but I feel like there should be a way to come up with a good Pencil interface.
  - hammyhavoc 4y ago
    Different tools for different tasks. Can you score a movie whilst maintaining perfect clock sync with umpteen devices via SMPTE and load-balance your DSP across a cluster of computers whilst recording an orchestra in real-time? Can you do digital productions in Unreal whilst designing the set in real-time and showing it to the director in-camera as the cast are on set? No, and I wouldn't want to try anyway. What you're describing is fairly basic stuff, and the computational resources required to perform those tasks has been outpaced by the miniaturization and price-to-performance value of a smartphone or tablet. But complex tasks have always required complex tools, and complex tasks become more and more complex over time, they take advantage of modern-day performance. The smartphone is the modern-day personal computer. A workstation is still a workstation, and just because it comes in an ATX tower doesn't mean it's consumer-grade hardware.
  - aj7 4y ago
    While certainly a cpu is working, I don’t classify any of that as computing. To me, computing is any app where your output is files for later use. So for instance, Apple Notes is borderline computing, and virtually anything using a browser isn’t, with the exception of running your own files.
    - Karrot_Kream 4y ago
      That seems highly reductive a definition because then a filesystem is a requirement for computation. A lot of early computing worked only in memory and results were printed out on tape or via TTY. Moreover it seems like your definition of computing only makes sense as input into another computer program. Regardless many of the examples I provided do produce files. When I do finances I create spreadsheets, when I share shopping lists I'm making formatted text documents.
digitallyfree 4y ago
Hah, I'm also "accustomed" like you and always prefer a proper monitor/keyboard first, then a laptop, then lastly a phone even for simple tasks. Obviously things are different if I'm on the street, but if I'm in front of a computer I'd rather use that to check something rather than pull out my phone. It's partially an eyestrain issue (I find the text too small) as well as the fact that the phone shows much less information than the computer screen. For instance on a mobile web page I have to scroll a lot, whereas on the computer I can just take in the text and images in a single glance. The keyboard and mouse also seem much more intuitive to me. So I guess I find the phone more cumbersome while many people I know think the other way :D
- Dalewyn 4y ago
  >whereas on the computer I can just take in the text and images in a single glance. Web2 and Web3 websites do everything possible to waste as much screen real estate as possible with as little content density as possible.

aj7 4y ago

I don’t think much “computing” is done, in our sense of the word, on tablets and phones. Personally, I’ve found that almost any slightly complex, has-to-be-done-once-and p-right, action is better performed on an actual computer. And that’s not even considering writing new programs.

Karrot_Kream 4y ago
This hasn't been my experience. I'm able to be surprisingly effective on my smartphone. I've constructed trip itineraries, balanced outing budgets, shared shopping lists, designed room layouts, computed food and drink recipe ratios, built DJ sets, laid out wood pieces, and read books using my smartphone. Coding is probably the only thing that I find unparalleled with a keyboard and a seated position than my smartphone. I used to game more often when I was younger and I still generally prefer to game in a seated position though I have gamed on my smartphone before.
- 2fast4you 4y ago
  Really agree. Programming and gaming are the only things I use my laptop for. I have my iPad for CAD and art, everything else I do on my phone. All my trip planning is done on there, all my finances, everything on the phone.
  - eropple 4y ago
    What CAD tools work well on an iPad? I'd love to try it. Fusion 360 is okay on Windows, but it's pretty bad on a Mac.
    - buggy6257 4y ago
      Also very interested in this!
    - code_biologist 4y ago
      I've heard good reviews of Shapr3d on iPad. Can't vouch for it myself, but I've heard positive sentiment.
    - aj7 4y ago
      None. Trust me, you need a mouse.
      - eropple 4y ago
        I tend to agree, but I feel like there should be a way to come up with a good Pencil interface.
- hammyhavoc 4y ago
  Different tools for different tasks. Can you score a movie whilst maintaining perfect clock sync with umpteen devices via SMPTE and load-balance your DSP across a cluster of computers whilst recording an orchestra in real-time? Can you do digital productions in Unreal whilst designing the set in real-time and showing it to the director in-camera as the cast are on set? No, and I wouldn't want to try anyway. What you're describing is fairly basic stuff, and the computational resources required to perform those tasks has been outpaced by the miniaturization and price-to-performance value of a smartphone or tablet. But complex tasks have always required complex tools, and complex tasks become more and more complex over time, they take advantage of modern-day performance. The smartphone is the modern-day personal computer. A workstation is still a workstation, and just because it comes in an ATX tower doesn't mean it's consumer-grade hardware.
- aj7 4y ago
  While certainly a cpu is working, I don’t classify any of that as computing. To me, computing is any app where your output is files for later use. So for instance, Apple Notes is borderline computing, and virtually anything using a browser isn’t, with the exception of running your own files.
  - Karrot_Kream 4y ago
    That seems highly reductive a definition because then a filesystem is a requirement for computation. A lot of early computing worked only in memory and results were printed out on tape or via TTY. Moreover it seems like your definition of computing only makes sense as input into another computer program. Regardless many of the examples I provided do produce files. When I do finances I create spreadsheets, when I share shopping lists I'm making formatted text documents.

digitallyfree 4y ago

Hah, I'm also "accustomed" like you and always prefer a proper monitor/keyboard first, then a laptop, then lastly a phone even for simple tasks. Obviously things are different if I'm on the street, but if I'm in front of a computer I'd rather use that to check something rather than pull out my phone. It's partially an eyestrain issue (I find the text too small) as well as the fact that the phone shows much less information than the computer screen. For instance on a mobile web page I have to scroll a lot, whereas on the computer I can just take in the text and images in a single glance. The keyboard and mouse also seem much more intuitive to me. So I guess I find the phone more cumbersome while many people I know think the other way :D

Dalewyn 4y ago
>whereas on the computer I can just take in the text and images in a single glance. Web2 and Web3 websites do everything possible to waste as much screen real estate as possible with as little content density as possible.