There are only two sensible choice [LWN.net]

There are only two sensible choice

Posted Oct 19, 2012 11:42 UTC (Fri) by davidjensen (guest, #87328)
In reply to: There are only two sensible choice by khim
Parent article: MeeGo to return next month with Jolla phone launch (The H)

The game seems to focus on getting the most money, not the most functionality.

Apple started the finger paradigm with the iPhone. It was intended for computer challenged people. That was followed by a similar tablet and the Android OS also using the same focus. Samsung recently came out with a pitiful attempt at windowing on Android. Retrofitting iOS and Android with the keyboard-and-mouse paradigm will be a major overhaul. However, there are three native OS's (not browser OS's) that start with keyboard-and-mouse: Jolla/Meego, a derivative of Maemo, Windows 8, and the forthcoming Ubuntu multiplatform in 2014. These will have the finger paradigm added on and will have more utility because of keyboard-and_mouse.

Meego (which apparently had problems solved by Mer which Jolla is based on) was very open sourced. It used Python, one of the easiest languages and widely used in projects that many end users can modify. It also has massive libraries because of its ease of use. Whether Microsoft or Ubuntu has a similar open source environment is uncertain (they both have strong support for Python).

Software patents have confined innovation but may be coming under attack. Donald Knuth was against them. Open source apparently bypasses IP restrictions. Open source may fit into China's philosophy since it and other Eastern countries have a history of ignoring IP. The question is how to make money on open source.

The open source, keyboard-and-mouse finger systems may end up being the most heavily used in serious applications, which could also demand higher prices.

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There are only two sensible choice

Posted Oct 20, 2012 2:44 UTC (Sat) by Fowl (subscriber, #65667) [Link]

Keyboard and mouse actually works surprisingly well on Android.

Try using on of the "Transformer" tablets some time. (I thought it was a gimmick at first too).

There are only two sensible choice

Posted Oct 28, 2012 17:08 UTC (Sun) by khim (subscriber, #9252) [Link]

The game seems to focus on getting the most money, not the most functionality.

Not most money. Most users. There's a difference: Microsoft was much smaller then Apple in in 1992, but by 1995 situation was very different because PC ecosystem was much bigger. We'll see if Apple will be able to prolong it's "much larger profits on much smaller userbase" longer this time.

The open source, keyboard-and-mouse finger systems may end up being the most heavily used in serious applications, which could also demand higher prices.

Why? What advantage will they have? You've said it yourself: one side (Android/iOS) must add keyboard and mouse support (and this process is well underway as you know). Other side must add decent finger support. Why do you think adding decent finger support is easier? Please take a look on Microsoft Surface reviews! They all say one and the same "nice idea, but it's still undercooked!".

My gut feeling is that keyboard and mouse in Android and finger-support in Jolla/Meego and Windows8 (or, more likely, Windows9) will mature at about the same time (I'm not sure Ubuntu will be ready by then). And in about 2014-2015 we'll have few contenders for the throne of about the same quality: Android, iOS, Windows8spX (or, more likely, Windows9), may be Jolla/Meego and/or Ubuntu. With couple of billions active users for Android, close to billion active users for iOS, may be half-billion for Windows8spX, tens of millions for Jolla/Meego (if they are lucky) and nothing for Ubuntu.

The only hope for contestants beyond the first two is litigation: they desperately need to stop growth of Android or iOS to have fighting chance at all.