3 ms·

A text app where you can't write in devices which usually have physical keyboards (desktop computers)... why do they act surprised that they have lost users?

PaulHoule 3y ago
This. I feel like a voice in the wilderness but I feel that smartphones were a giant step backwards. There was a movie trailer like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge-x4mPuZ_4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge-x4mPuZ_4 where the minaturization went beyond the desktop all the way to a little phone and it used scenes from more classic movies but the shrinking screen left me with a tragic feeling and the slogan "go big or go home" was left more ambiguous (maybe you would go home). You might say one great thing about the old Twitter was the ability to have parasocial relationships with brands and if you think that's important you want to put the experience of brand managers first and from that perspective the most important thing is a powerful desktop app aimed at the power user. If you get those users in they could make a site a destination for people, if it's just another way for people to screw around with their phones that's a really crowded field.
- ajhurliman 3y ago
  A big step backwards for what? I can hail a cab, watch shows, all sorts of things on-the-go. If you’re claiming it’s a big step back for productivity, I’d argue that phones and tablets are devices of consumption, few things of worth are produced on a phone or tablet.
- TechBro8615 3y ago
  I can type just as fast (if not faster) on my phone as on desktop. I write almost all my HN comments from my phone, primarily because it's my leisure device and I try to use my desktop only for work (or at least "work") activities. My phone has a high DPI screen and a responsive touch interface that makes it easy to browse content and write comments. The main downside is that it's more immersive and usually can't display as much content on the screen as a desktop monitor, but for this I mostly blame responsive design and its tendency to favor single-column text rendering; reading sites in desktop mode on a high DPI phone screen actually isn't too bad, aside from the tiny buttons and links. But the reason this is a major downside is that it encourages doomscrolling as the screen typically only displays one "piece" of content at a time.

PaulHoule 3y ago

This. I feel like a voice in the wilderness but I feel that smartphones were a giant step backwards. There was a movie trailer like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge-x4mPuZ_4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge-x4mPuZ_4 where the minaturization went beyond the desktop all the way to a little phone and it used scenes from more classic movies but the shrinking screen left me with a tragic feeling and the slogan "go big or go home" was left more ambiguous (maybe you would go home). You might say one great thing about the old Twitter was the ability to have parasocial relationships with brands and if you think that's important you want to put the experience of brand managers first and from that perspective the most important thing is a powerful desktop app aimed at the power user. If you get those users in they could make a site a destination for people, if it's just another way for people to screw around with their phones that's a really crowded field.

ajhurliman 3y ago
A big step backwards for what? I can hail a cab, watch shows, all sorts of things on-the-go. If you’re claiming it’s a big step back for productivity, I’d argue that phones and tablets are devices of consumption, few things of worth are produced on a phone or tablet.
TechBro8615 3y ago
I can type just as fast (if not faster) on my phone as on desktop. I write almost all my HN comments from my phone, primarily because it's my leisure device and I try to use my desktop only for work (or at least "work") activities. My phone has a high DPI screen and a responsive touch interface that makes it easy to browse content and write comments. The main downside is that it's more immersive and usually can't display as much content on the screen as a desktop monitor, but for this I mostly blame responsive design and its tendency to favor single-column text rendering; reading sites in desktop mode on a high DPI phone screen actually isn't too bad, aside from the tiny buttons and links. But the reason this is a major downside is that it encourages doomscrolling as the screen typically only displays one "piece" of content at a time.