5 ms·

The Adam Smith Institute once added up all the govt spending demands made in a single news program and it came to like 10% of GDP. Similarly the comments here:

by dash2 8d ago

The Adam Smith Institute once added up all the govt spending demands made in a single news program and it came to like 10% of GDP. Similarly the comments here: if only it could do all this and * On/off button round the back * More LTE bands * An open bootloader (note to normies this is like saying "have a quantum multiplexer") * Different screen ratio * Different keyboard layouts * Eink screen * Bigger battery * Be easier to use for someone with long fingernails (hello Nosferatu https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751114 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751114) * Be lighter * Be smaller * Have a website without javascript (really) * Be cheaper (this one is satire) (no it's not) Sure guys, why can't someone just build you your personal phone at the same price as the iPhone whose development costs are amortized over seval billions consumers :-/

deleted 8d ago
[deleted]
c0balt 8d ago
> Be easier to use for someone with long fingernails (hello Nosferatu) Long nails are somewhat common as an aesthetic/cosmetic choice usually for women (ime). No need to make a joke around accessible design.
- iterance 8d ago
  A phone that works with long nails is also likely to be far more accessible to people with all sorts of hand mobility or motor control problems.
- miladyincontrol 8d ago
  Even with short nails, keys that are too shallow or without contour be rather jarring to use.
- dash2 8d ago
  I feel no need not to make a joke around it.
- luipugs 8d ago
  Aren't long nails difficult for anything that requires finger dexterity, like in touch screen phones? Also the parent comment reminded me of this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VjpcLplkMUs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VjpcLplkMUs
- theendisney 7d ago
  I have one keyboard worn to the point the (now blank) keys have nail shaped holes in them in just the right shape and angle. One could extrude keys to be softer so that they errode faster and have the symbol all the way though.
tom_ 8d ago
Yeah, all of that would be great. Good ideas all round, and thank you for gathering all these sensible requests into one centralized list. Slight problem, and it's not clear whether you've realised this: everybody else in the world knows that we can't have everything! Still, it's good to have goals, even if they can't be met, and it'd be monstrous to mock the ambition on display - which I do declare we should in fact salute. Good on you sir/madam, for not being a cynical jaded asshole like the rest of us.
- antoniojtorres 8d ago
  Would it really be monstrous?
- deleted 8d ago
  [deleted]
- calcifer 8d ago
  > it'd be monstrous to mock the ambition on display It's not "ambition" when it's what other people should do for you.
what 8d ago
>note to normies this is like saying "have a quantum multiplexer" I don’t think you helped the normies out.
- dash2 8d ago
  "note: to normies, this is like..."
  - drdaeman 8d ago
    What's the point of complaining about use of jargonisms in a specialist-leaning spaces? Anyone with a resemblance of a functioning brain (that is, any "normie" included) can understand "ability to install and run custom aftermarket operating system, or modify pre-installed one", assuming they know what an "operating system" is. And if they don't know what it is, that can - and should (!) - be explained too. This ability matters to people who don't know any much about any computer programming, because it affects their ability to use the devices they own. They may not know how it all works, but they do express regrets when something doesn't work the way they expect or want it to work. And we all know and hate enshittification here, don't we? Personally, I'm tired of saying "no, because Apple/Google decided only they can control this, and neither you or me can change this on this device" to "can this work so-and-so" questions. And "open bootloader" is a jargon shorthand for that. Crude, because it should be actually more like "bootloader that can be configured to validate software integrity with user-provided key material", but most people familiar with the space and lingo get the right idea anyway, and shorthand needs to be short. And this is Hacker News, not a Wendy's, so jargon is more than expected. If someone (a "normie") reads something and don't understand it, we should all be encouraging them to ask questions and try to give them accessible answers. Not shield them from this knowledge, not fetishize mindless consumerism, not behave like snobs, and especially not dismiss something important only because it's not commonly understood. For marketing materials that target "normie" audiences, it should be just phrased in "normie"-accessible way (look how Valve does that with their hardware), but when we're compiling a HN wishlist from HN comments, complaining about jargon is silly. /rant
    - lukan 8d ago
1vuio0pswjnm7 8d ago
"Have a website without javascript (really)" Their website also requires a User-Agent headeer Given the low level of traffic, IME this is unusual
- 1vuio0pswjnm7 8d ago
  *header
ex-aws-dude 8d ago
The homer simpson car
ssl-3 8d ago
* Headphone jack for special music * SD card slot to store that special music * Multiple physical SIMs because eSIMs can't be trusted * Multiple eSIMs because physical SIMs are dumb * LoRa for meshtastic because the network can't be trusted * Drug scale for weighing drugs (Actually, just put the drug scale on there and great teaming throngs of people will immediately forget that they ever owned an iPhone.)
- dotancohen 8d ago
  > Headphone jack for special music Actually, this phone does have a headphone jack.
- tosapple 8d ago
  drug scale for drugs? you've got it wrong, that scale is for measuring transactions in Au.
  - rickydroll 7d ago
    Why would you measure transactions by the distance between Earth and the Sun?
    - ssl-3 7d ago
      Drugs?
GoblinSlayer 8d ago
[dead]
ksec 8d ago
Making one isn't "that" hard once you factor in China's production capabilities. The problem isn't even making it, the hardware part. ( Ignoring IP for a second ) Once you have all that, it is how do you sell it, and sell enough unit to even have a ROI. And that is ignoring UI / software. I don't think people on HN understand, hardware business is brutal.

by dash2 8d ago

deleted 8d ago

[deleted]

c0balt 8d ago

> Be easier to use for someone with long fingernails (hello Nosferatu) Long nails are somewhat common as an aesthetic/cosmetic choice usually for women (ime). No need to make a joke around accessible design.

iterance 8d ago
A phone that works with long nails is also likely to be far more accessible to people with all sorts of hand mobility or motor control problems.
miladyincontrol 8d ago
Even with short nails, keys that are too shallow or without contour be rather jarring to use.
dash2 8d ago
I feel no need not to make a joke around it.
luipugs 8d ago
Aren't long nails difficult for anything that requires finger dexterity, like in touch screen phones? Also the parent comment reminded me of this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VjpcLplkMUs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VjpcLplkMUs
theendisney 7d ago
I have one keyboard worn to the point the (now blank) keys have nail shaped holes in them in just the right shape and angle. One could extrude keys to be softer so that they errode faster and have the symbol all the way though.

tom_ 8d ago

Yeah, all of that would be great. Good ideas all round, and thank you for gathering all these sensible requests into one centralized list. Slight problem, and it's not clear whether you've realised this: everybody else in the world knows that we can't have everything! Still, it's good to have goals, even if they can't be met, and it'd be monstrous to mock the ambition on display - which I do declare we should in fact salute. Good on you sir/madam, for not being a cynical jaded asshole like the rest of us.

antoniojtorres 8d ago
Would it really be monstrous?
deleted 8d ago
[deleted]
calcifer 8d ago
> it'd be monstrous to mock the ambition on display It's not "ambition" when it's what other people should do for you.

what 8d ago

>note to normies this is like saying "have a quantum multiplexer" I don’t think you helped the normies out.

dash2 8d ago
"note: to normies, this is like..."
- drdaeman 8d ago
  What's the point of complaining about use of jargonisms in a specialist-leaning spaces? Anyone with a resemblance of a functioning brain (that is, any "normie" included) can understand "ability to install and run custom aftermarket operating system, or modify pre-installed one", assuming they know what an "operating system" is. And if they don't know what it is, that can - and should (!) - be explained too. This ability matters to people who don't know any much about any computer programming, because it affects their ability to use the devices they own. They may not know how it all works, but they do express regrets when something doesn't work the way they expect or want it to work. And we all know and hate enshittification here, don't we? Personally, I'm tired of saying "no, because Apple/Google decided only they can control this, and neither you or me can change this on this device" to "can this work so-and-so" questions. And "open bootloader" is a jargon shorthand for that. Crude, because it should be actually more like "bootloader that can be configured to validate software integrity with user-provided key material", but most people familiar with the space and lingo get the right idea anyway, and shorthand needs to be short. And this is Hacker News, not a Wendy's, so jargon is more than expected. If someone (a "normie") reads something and don't understand it, we should all be encouraging them to ask questions and try to give them accessible answers. Not shield them from this knowledge, not fetishize mindless consumerism, not behave like snobs, and especially not dismiss something important only because it's not commonly understood. For marketing materials that target "normie" audiences, it should be just phrased in "normie"-accessible way (look how Valve does that with their hardware), but when we're compiling a HN wishlist from HN comments, complaining about jargon is silly. /rant
  - lukan 8d ago

1vuio0pswjnm7 8d ago

"Have a website without javascript (really)" Their website also requires a User-Agent headeer Given the low level of traffic, IME this is unusual

1vuio0pswjnm7 8d ago
*header

ex-aws-dude 8d ago

The homer simpson car

ssl-3 8d ago

* Headphone jack for special music * SD card slot to store that special music * Multiple physical SIMs because eSIMs can't be trusted * Multiple eSIMs because physical SIMs are dumb * LoRa for meshtastic because the network can't be trusted * Drug scale for weighing drugs (Actually, just put the drug scale on there and great teaming throngs of people will immediately forget that they ever owned an iPhone.)

dotancohen 8d ago
> Headphone jack for special music Actually, this phone does have a headphone jack.
tosapple 8d ago
drug scale for drugs? you've got it wrong, that scale is for measuring transactions in Au.
- rickydroll 7d ago
  Why would you measure transactions by the distance between Earth and the Sun?
  - ssl-3 7d ago
    Drugs?

GoblinSlayer 8d ago

[dead]

ksec 8d ago

Making one isn't "that" hard once you factor in China's production capabilities. The problem isn't even making it, the hardware part. ( Ignoring IP for a second ) Once you have all that, it is how do you sell it, and sell enough unit to even have a ROI. And that is ignoring UI / software. I don't think people on HN understand, hardware business is brutal.