4 ms·

Well, from a Python point of view, I don't really care if everyone in the world gets a smartphone tomorrow. Can you really imagine a future in which people all

by nacker 14y ago

Well, from a Python point of view, I don't really care if everyone in the world gets a smartphone tomorrow. Can you really imagine a future in which people all over the worlds do not work at desks? Or one in which people sit at desks doing all their work on a tablet or a smartphone? The issue is an ergonomic one, and I just don't buy the idea that the "shift from desktop to mobile" is "the same magnitude, if not greater, than the shift from desktop app to web". Python will not end up as mere glue. As the article points out, there is going to be a large supply of new Python programmers (or "non-programmers") arriving shortly, due to educational programs and Pi type devices. Remember "Computer Programming for Everybody", or "CP4E"? http://www.python.org/doc/essays/everybody/ http://www.python.org/doc/essays/everybody/ That was the original vision for Python, and it is slowly happening, don't worry.

tzs 14y ago
I'm not sure I buy the ergonomic argument against sitting at a desk working on a tablet. Wouldn't the ergonomics be similar to that of sitting at a desk working with books, writing pads, and pencils? I don't recall books/pads/pencils having the major ergonomic risks that we get with desktop computers, but it is possible I am just not remembering well.
mamcx 14y ago
Is not necesary to imagine it. Is happening right now. ANyway, a tablet/smartphone will approach desktop-class functionality (but on-top of smart touch). I wish badly a way to develop* my iOS apps with python. Obj-c is improving - the main reason I don't move to monotouch, lua or ruby -, and is necessary transparent support to the cocoa-apis... but anyway... P:D. With develop, with the same support or better as mono-touch, so not only games...
- andybak 14y ago
  Early days but http://kivy.org/ http://kivy.org/
- dmorgan 14y ago
  >Is not necesary to imagine it. Is happening right now. Any statistics on that? Because, 10 guys and their dogs aside, I haven't notice any office workers replacing their desktops for tablets. Some managers and such might use them, but those were never desk bound office workers to begin with.
  - mamcx 14y ago
    Well, if by "office workers" we rule out "managers and such" then yeah... nobody is replacing them! The statistics are in the open and well know by now. The industry is moving fast & furios. The mobile space is bigger than the PC/Desktop, and the ONLY way to the dumb phones of today is up. Will not kill the desktop, and as developer, I don't see a mass migration to mobile in the near future, but the thing is moving in that direction -probably as mix between tablet/desktop/smartphone...
rdtsc 14y ago
The location of where you sit is sort of orthogonal to the device you can use. If say your smart phone was powerful enough to edit and compile files (I assume you are a developer) then just lay your smart phone down, let it wirelessly connect to your large screen TV and your keyboard, and now you can do the same thing your desktop does now without having a large motherboard, hard drives, loud fans etc. You are basically arguing that keyboards and chairs are here to stay which I think short of a good mind-to-computer interface that is true. But just not sure about the current hardware and operating systems.
- kdsudac 14y ago
  So by wirelessly docking your smartphone you've basically turned it into a hyper-portable desktop, right? So now the only difference between your smartphone-desktop and your traditional-desktop is the OS it runs, right? So which OS do you want to run on your desktop? I can promise it isn't a mobile OS. Maybe a new hybrid OS (Ubuntu for Android or Windows 8) can offer the best of both worlds, but I'm skeptical.

by nacker 14y ago

tzs 14y ago

I'm not sure I buy the ergonomic argument against sitting at a desk working on a tablet. Wouldn't the ergonomics be similar to that of sitting at a desk working with books, writing pads, and pencils? I don't recall books/pads/pencils having the major ergonomic risks that we get with desktop computers, but it is possible I am just not remembering well.

mamcx 14y ago

Is not necesary to imagine it. Is happening right now. ANyway, a tablet/smartphone will approach desktop-class functionality (but on-top of smart touch). I wish badly a way to develop* my iOS apps with python. Obj-c is improving - the main reason I don't move to monotouch, lua or ruby -, and is necessary transparent support to the cocoa-apis... but anyway... P:D. With develop, with the same support or better as mono-touch, so not only games...

andybak 14y ago
Early days but http://kivy.org/ http://kivy.org/
dmorgan 14y ago
>Is not necesary to imagine it. Is happening right now. Any statistics on that? Because, 10 guys and their dogs aside, I haven't notice any office workers replacing their desktops for tablets. Some managers and such might use them, but those were never desk bound office workers to begin with.
- mamcx 14y ago
  Well, if by "office workers" we rule out "managers and such" then yeah... nobody is replacing them! The statistics are in the open and well know by now. The industry is moving fast & furios. The mobile space is bigger than the PC/Desktop, and the ONLY way to the dumb phones of today is up. Will not kill the desktop, and as developer, I don't see a mass migration to mobile in the near future, but the thing is moving in that direction -probably as mix between tablet/desktop/smartphone...

rdtsc 14y ago

The location of where you sit is sort of orthogonal to the device you can use. If say your smart phone was powerful enough to edit and compile files (I assume you are a developer) then just lay your smart phone down, let it wirelessly connect to your large screen TV and your keyboard, and now you can do the same thing your desktop does now without having a large motherboard, hard drives, loud fans etc. You are basically arguing that keyboards and chairs are here to stay which I think short of a good mind-to-computer interface that is true. But just not sure about the current hardware and operating systems.

kdsudac 14y ago
So by wirelessly docking your smartphone you've basically turned it into a hyper-portable desktop, right? So now the only difference between your smartphone-desktop and your traditional-desktop is the OS it runs, right? So which OS do you want to run on your desktop? I can promise it isn't a mobile OS. Maybe a new hybrid OS (Ubuntu for Android or Windows 8) can offer the best of both worlds, but I'm skeptical.