4 ms·

Resist if you like, but what are your options if not iPhone, Android, or Windows Phone? It's clear these distinct developer teams have decided direct access to

by grrowl 13y ago

Resist if you like, but what are your options if not iPhone, Android, or Windows Phone? It's clear these distinct developer teams have decided direct access to removable storage is some kind of risk (whether to security, usability, or ubiquity). We're not going to reach a truly post-PC era without addressing and moving on from some of the core issues at the heart of it, one of which is the folder/file hierarchy. I'm sorry for your loss, but it's time to adapt my friend.

drivingmenuts 13y ago
Seems like a good time to switch back to a basic Nokia and a laptop. The only people looking forward to a post-PC era are the ones tied to their smartphones. Some of us need large screens and more processing power.
- grrowl 13y ago
  Absolutely, and in this case a laptop has a significantly different use-case from a phone. Noone's doing serious development/creative on their phone or tablet, and no doubt PCs will exist for these functions for decades more. But for making calls, casual web browsing, and music, your N900 will perform these tasks as well or worse than a iPhone or Android. I realise @geeNoThanks might be partly trolling so I'll leave it at "different strokes for different folks"
geeNoThanks 13y ago
Your condescending tone is delicious, my friend. I feel an overwhelming urge to adapt my attitude in favor of a preordained role as subordinate to your obvious wisom and clarity of vision.
Zak 13y ago
You seem to be suggesting that a post-PC era is desirable, that being able to make effective use of external storage is inherently problematic and/or that data should live inside apps from the user's perspective and vanish if the app is uninstalled. If these are your positions, please offer some support for them, as I'm not sure the rest of us see them as self-evident.
emeraldd 13y ago
Let's see you do anything of meaningful complexity or constructive value on such a system. Unless you replace the folder/file structure with something effectively equivalent your screwed the moment you need to do something that takes more than one app. Especially if you do that kind of work very often or need multiple people to work on the same project.
MBCook 13y ago
> It's clear these distinct developer teams have decided direct access to removable storage is some kind of risk (whether to security, usability, or ubiquity) I would argue usability. Having removable storage causes you to have to handle quite a few additional issues: * Storage is removed (while app is off/in background) * Storage is removed (while app is active) * Users have to understand there are two places to put things (may still exist with this) * Users have to understand the filesystem (decades of experience says... they don't) Let's not forget that there are tons of 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x devices that probably won't get this update. This is only going to effect devices being actively updated and new ones. As for new ones, Flash is getting cheaper and networks are getting faster. The fact is cloud storage is getting more and more practical (assuming carriers don't ruin it). This may be a bit early, but it would have been impossible a few years ago. All in all it seems like a relatively sane decision to move the platform further. They could have just dropped SD card support. That would have also fixed the issues.
- Dylan16807 13y ago
  Your point is null because the removable storage is still there, and has to deal with even more sudden removal modes such as leaving reception. But it's suddenly more restrictive. So pretend the GP said > It's clear these distinct developer teams have decided direct access to a filesystem is some kind of risk (whether to security, usability, or ubiquity)
- pdonis 13y ago
  I would argue usability I would argue that usability is in the eye of the user. I don't care if most users don't understand what removable storage is and won't notice or care about this change. I know what it is and how to use it, so making it effectively useless impairs my usability. The fact is cloud storage is getting more and more practical (assuming carriers don't ruin it) Big assumption. Also not the only one: you're assuming cloud providers can keep your data private.

by grrowl 13y ago

drivingmenuts 13y ago

Seems like a good time to switch back to a basic Nokia and a laptop. The only people looking forward to a post-PC era are the ones tied to their smartphones. Some of us need large screens and more processing power.

grrowl 13y ago
Absolutely, and in this case a laptop has a significantly different use-case from a phone. Noone's doing serious development/creative on their phone or tablet, and no doubt PCs will exist for these functions for decades more. But for making calls, casual web browsing, and music, your N900 will perform these tasks as well or worse than a iPhone or Android. I realise @geeNoThanks might be partly trolling so I'll leave it at "different strokes for different folks"

geeNoThanks 13y ago

Your condescending tone is delicious, my friend. I feel an overwhelming urge to adapt my attitude in favor of a preordained role as subordinate to your obvious wisom and clarity of vision.

Zak 13y ago

You seem to be suggesting that a post-PC era is desirable, that being able to make effective use of external storage is inherently problematic and/or that data should live inside apps from the user's perspective and vanish if the app is uninstalled. If these are your positions, please offer some support for them, as I'm not sure the rest of us see them as self-evident.

emeraldd 13y ago

Let's see you do anything of meaningful complexity or constructive value on such a system. Unless you replace the folder/file structure with something effectively equivalent your screwed the moment you need to do something that takes more than one app. Especially if you do that kind of work very often or need multiple people to work on the same project.

MBCook 13y ago

> It's clear these distinct developer teams have decided direct access to removable storage is some kind of risk (whether to security, usability, or ubiquity) I would argue usability. Having removable storage causes you to have to handle quite a few additional issues: * Storage is removed (while app is off/in background) * Storage is removed (while app is active) * Users have to understand there are two places to put things (may still exist with this) * Users have to understand the filesystem (decades of experience says... they don't) Let's not forget that there are tons of 2.x, 3.x, and 4.x devices that probably won't get this update. This is only going to effect devices being actively updated and new ones. As for new ones, Flash is getting cheaper and networks are getting faster. The fact is cloud storage is getting more and more practical (assuming carriers don't ruin it). This may be a bit early, but it would have been impossible a few years ago. All in all it seems like a relatively sane decision to move the platform further. They could have just dropped SD card support. That would have also fixed the issues.

Dylan16807 13y ago
Your point is null because the removable storage is still there, and has to deal with even more sudden removal modes such as leaving reception. But it's suddenly more restrictive. So pretend the GP said > It's clear these distinct developer teams have decided direct access to a filesystem is some kind of risk (whether to security, usability, or ubiquity)
pdonis 13y ago
I would argue usability I would argue that usability is in the eye of the user. I don't care if most users don't understand what removable storage is and won't notice or care about this change. I know what it is and how to use it, so making it effectively useless impairs my usability. The fact is cloud storage is getting more and more practical (assuming carriers don't ruin it) Big assumption. Also not the only one: you're assuming cloud providers can keep your data private.