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I am not complaining about the Galaxy Nexus not being supported NOW, although frankly I don't see why it shouldn't be -- the hardware is plenty capable of runni

by cwyers 11y ago

I am not complaining about the Galaxy Nexus not being supported NOW, although frankly I don't see why it shouldn't be -- the hardware is plenty capable of running new Android versions. It was terrible about getting updates back when it was still available for sale. EDIT: I have three and four year old computers that are running Windows 10 Technical Preview just fine. And it's not like new low-end Android phones are more powerful than four-year-old mid- and high-end phones. I think that it's silly that we have reset our expectations so low that it's beyond the pale that companies should support OS updates on four-year-old phones.

sergiosgc 11y ago
Phones will get to where computers are now. If you think back 20 years, 4 year old computers could not run just released software. It took time for two things to happen: 1) Increase in available computing resources; 2) Commoditization of the platform. It can be argued that we are just reaching condition (1), but we are still a bit far from (2). The peculiarities between hardware platforms make it necessary to actually test on each hardware platform. As the installed base of a phone dwindles, after a point it makes little sense to provide updates. We'll get there, but it'll take a few more years. In the meantime, Nexus are great choices, because the developer community can actually fill in for the necessary testing and tweaking. I had an HTC Desire before my Nexus 5, and it was incredible how much its life was extended by a vibrant community (mine lasted over four years and was clearly outdated spec-wise when I bough the N5).
- cwyers 11y ago
  The thing is, Apple is already there -- iOS 8 is available for the 4S, which is roughly the same age as the Galaxy Nexus. I don't think condition 1 has ever been a problem. (I know, I know... should have bought a Nexus, should have bought an iPhone. My mistake for buying Motorola. Won't happen again.)
- zurn 11y ago
  20 years ago, in 1995, 4 year-old computers from 1991 generally could run just released productivity software, compilers and OS versions just fine, on Linux, Amiga, Windows/DOS computers at least. It was best to add another RAM stick though.

by cwyers 11y ago

sergiosgc 11y ago

Phones will get to where computers are now. If you think back 20 years, 4 year old computers could not run just released software. It took time for two things to happen: 1) Increase in available computing resources; 2) Commoditization of the platform. It can be argued that we are just reaching condition (1), but we are still a bit far from (2). The peculiarities between hardware platforms make it necessary to actually test on each hardware platform. As the installed base of a phone dwindles, after a point it makes little sense to provide updates. We'll get there, but it'll take a few more years. In the meantime, Nexus are great choices, because the developer community can actually fill in for the necessary testing and tweaking. I had an HTC Desire before my Nexus 5, and it was incredible how much its life was extended by a vibrant community (mine lasted over four years and was clearly outdated spec-wise when I bough the N5).

cwyers 11y ago
The thing is, Apple is already there -- iOS 8 is available for the 4S, which is roughly the same age as the Galaxy Nexus. I don't think condition 1 has ever been a problem. (I know, I know... should have bought a Nexus, should have bought an iPhone. My mistake for buying Motorola. Won't happen again.)
zurn 11y ago
20 years ago, in 1995, 4 year-old computers from 1991 generally could run just released productivity software, compilers and OS versions just fine, on Linux, Amiga, Windows/DOS computers at least. It was best to add another RAM stick though.