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It seems inevitable, but I have difficulty imagining a world (at least one in the next 10 years) where full scale projects are created on smaller devices. The c

It seems inevitable, but I have difficulty imagining a world (at least one in the next 10 years) where full scale projects are created on smaller devices. The complexity and sophistication of a computer is a developer's joy. I don't see that kind of openness with the tablet/smartphone market. Undoubtedly both are fantastic tools for content/app consumption and perhaps even content creation, but it's hard to imagine people building full scale applications solely from tablets and smartphones.

sirmarksalot 14y ago
Depends on what you mean by "full scale." See the Penny Arcade post on the Microsoft Surface Pro. Gabe was able to go through the entire process of drawing and uploading a comic strip as or more easily than he would have done on his PC. This isn't the same as implementing an e-commerce site, but it's one professional workflow that you would've normally assumed would require a PC. More workflows will be added for different fields and professions, and eventually the uses for a full-blown desktop PC will become rare. Sure, we may never develop full-blown webapps on our tablets, but we're probably only a few years away from the majority of our non-dev tasks being practical without a desktop PC. Edit: Removed a repeated example
- recoiledsnake 14y ago
  But the Surface Pro is still more of a PC than a tablet. The Surface RT would be more like the iPad. The Surface Pro has a Core i5 Intel chip, half the battery life, a couple of fans, is heavier, thicker and gets hot. It has a powered USB 3.0 and can drive a 2560x1440p monitor and has a Micro-SD slot, a full Wacom digitizer and a pressure sensitive pen. Not to mention a full user navigable filesystem Even the latest iPad has none of these features (or disadvantages). It is more like a convertible truck/car hybrid though and Microsoft still calls it a PC.
  - WayneDB 14y ago
    Absolutely agree that the Pro is more of a full PC. I have not experienced it getting very hot yet and I did not know that it even had a fan inside of it until I read your post because I never heard it. I have not run any games on it yet though. Mostly I've been browsing, listening to music, exploring the OS and drawing with Sketchbook and Fresh Paint. The major downsides that I have experienced are 1) the terrible trackpad scrolling (no momentum and it's not sensitive enough - like all non-Apple trackpads), 2) Chrome doesn't work very well yet with touch, 3) the pen holder is unusable when charging and 4) there is no Fn lock, so I can't hit F1, F2, etc without pressing Fn. No big show stoppers and I'm hoping all of these can be fixed with new drivers and software in the future.
- wlesieutre 14y ago
  The Surface Pro is a PC, for all intents and purposes. The only thing setting it aside from a laptop is the touchscreen and kickstand/cover instead of a hinge/keyboard. Functionally, it can do anything a desktop PC can. While we're definitely moving in that direction, the workflow he used is still impossible on a normal tablet for the time right now. Sketchbook Pro exists on the iPad, but as far as I can tell there's no tablet version that works with real digitizers. For now, it remains in "Work you need a real OS for" category.

sirmarksalot 14y ago

Depends on what you mean by "full scale." See the Penny Arcade post on the Microsoft Surface Pro. Gabe was able to go through the entire process of drawing and uploading a comic strip as or more easily than he would have done on his PC. This isn't the same as implementing an e-commerce site, but it's one professional workflow that you would've normally assumed would require a PC. More workflows will be added for different fields and professions, and eventually the uses for a full-blown desktop PC will become rare. Sure, we may never develop full-blown webapps on our tablets, but we're probably only a few years away from the majority of our non-dev tasks being practical without a desktop PC. Edit: Removed a repeated example

recoiledsnake 14y ago
But the Surface Pro is still more of a PC than a tablet. The Surface RT would be more like the iPad. The Surface Pro has a Core i5 Intel chip, half the battery life, a couple of fans, is heavier, thicker and gets hot. It has a powered USB 3.0 and can drive a 2560x1440p monitor and has a Micro-SD slot, a full Wacom digitizer and a pressure sensitive pen. Not to mention a full user navigable filesystem Even the latest iPad has none of these features (or disadvantages). It is more like a convertible truck/car hybrid though and Microsoft still calls it a PC.
- WayneDB 14y ago
  Absolutely agree that the Pro is more of a full PC. I have not experienced it getting very hot yet and I did not know that it even had a fan inside of it until I read your post because I never heard it. I have not run any games on it yet though. Mostly I've been browsing, listening to music, exploring the OS and drawing with Sketchbook and Fresh Paint. The major downsides that I have experienced are 1) the terrible trackpad scrolling (no momentum and it's not sensitive enough - like all non-Apple trackpads), 2) Chrome doesn't work very well yet with touch, 3) the pen holder is unusable when charging and 4) there is no Fn lock, so I can't hit F1, F2, etc without pressing Fn. No big show stoppers and I'm hoping all of these can be fixed with new drivers and software in the future.
wlesieutre 14y ago
The Surface Pro is a PC, for all intents and purposes. The only thing setting it aside from a laptop is the touchscreen and kickstand/cover instead of a hinge/keyboard. Functionally, it can do anything a desktop PC can. While we're definitely moving in that direction, the workflow he used is still impossible on a normal tablet for the time right now. Sketchbook Pro exists on the iPad, but as far as I can tell there's no tablet version that works with real digitizers. For now, it remains in "Work you need a real OS for" category.