Elementary Os - Ubuntu Fork Only Less Annoying

[mahesh2k 0]

You mean using those docks and attaching the keyboard and mouse? Hmm, how many people at workplace can do that? This applies to some managers and higher profile people where they talk more and work less on machine. Can a programmer use that comfortably? no. the reason is because of the screen and the arm processor strength for processing programming tools and compilation. Same case applies to CAD and office use. Only a small portion of work can be done with the tablet and not the workplace machine. That means people who *actually* work typing for hours and editing images all day where even minute pixel needs attention. So for that tablet isn't productive, in fact it is more of a burden. Here typography and the display size is equally important. Arm processors are not yet powerful to handle photoshop or GIMP for operating on 100MB+ image for hours. When your work becomes on the go, then that is not a work and the device falls into consumer device and not work device. Kindle tablet, ipad all are consumer devices. They are not the computers that we use for programming, office work and other important stuff. Tablets do the minor job of social networking and mail checking, formal typing stuff and thats all.

[yordan 10]

On that point you are right. However, remember that in real life (I mean outside a software company) there are rather few developers, I guess that less than 1% of th people paid by a big company are spending their time developing software. So, the market will be hold by managers and the 99% of the people who don't write programs and don't manipulate huge images.And, of course, the price/performance will play a huge role : for writing text documents, an old PC is cheaper than a tablet.

[mahesh2k 0]

I don't 1% of the people are into programming or manipulating stuff on computer. That amount is high, people into workforce are more into big displays and higher power comptuer. We don't see tablets replacing desktops in stockmarket workplace or publishing house. isn't it? I think that is the thing which is important here. We're assuming that people are not doing office work or manipulating images and hence we think 99% are into consumer mode that is simply not true.I mean if we go to shopping mall and see the computer of accountant then surely that is less likely to be tablet because of the power of processing. Tablet falls short and also risks the point of portability. Some of the machines are meant to remain the workplace and are not supposed to be moved away from the desk. In case of salesman they benefit from tablet because they can show catalog and prices and stuff. So there are some places where tablet will replace laptop or desktop but there are many areas where tablets are less likely to even enter as usable product. I think the day tablets become more powerful with processing and have enough display lifespan to stand for the keystrokes then surely it will change. That is one more thing where we need to see how linux is going to adapt.

[manuleka 0]

If we look at the ipad and the samsung tablet and compare our current working then you'll get the idea. Try typing my first post in this thread on ipad or other tablet and see your fingers and also look at the tablet. If you do that for 4 months, tablet will then stop responding because of it's lifespan will be over. You know we have to look at it as consuming device. The thing is that many people are assuming that soon it will replace keyboard and mouse. That is not true.

Do you mean to heavily type on a tablet like on a keyboard? Tablets and Touch-Screens devices are getting better and better with responsiveness and durability.... i don't think typing on it a lot will shorten the devices responsive lifespan... most Touch devices these days are quite durable, but are meant for users to be gentle on then as well...

I've had my iPhone 4 for a wee while now and it's still going strong, i text message a lot - a whole lot more than typing on Computer... i play Games a lot on it too... Street Fighter, Modern Combat, Asphalt 6 etc... I've had it for over 6 months now... i don't see any difference in responsiveness on the Touch Screen

And tablets are not to replace PC although it does have its effect on the Computer Market
Edited March 17, 2012 by manuleka (see edit history)

[mahesh2k 0]

That's the point. We don't type gently on laptop pad or keyboard and still they manage to stay with us for longer than 8 years. My current keyboard on old mahcine is working fine for 9 years and this august it will 10th year. So is that possibility exist for tablet or touch screen? No. Because I have seen samsung mobiles touch display going down after heavy usage of about 9-10 months. We can't restrict usage and just use these devices for watching and occasional clicking, isn't it?Thing with iphone display is that it is expensive and the amount of research and the lifespan guarantee offered is high compared to phones that are made on cheap cost. We cant expect linux on device which has heavy usage lifespan of 6-10 months. Occasional youtube watching, comment typing and stuff will hardly break the display but usage where you have to do a lot of writing stuff like you do with laptop will surely break it's lifespan. Answer to your question is: yes. I am looking for heavy usage because most of my work is heavy and i rarely do some small tasks. The topic we are getting into is the direction that linux community is taking by assuming tablets future. So that's why i am comparing touch devices with current one on heavy usage scale.

[yordan 10]

I have lost several keyboards till now. Of course, not the whole keyboard, but some keys. I'm talking of a 30-years period, of course, so 3 keyboards and 30 years is similar to your 10 years per keyboard assumption.

[manuleka 0]

Answer to your question is: yes. I am looking for heavy usage because most of my work is heavy and i rarely do some small tasks. The topic we are getting into is the direction that linux community is taking by assuming tablets future. So that's why i am comparing touch devices with current one on heavy usage scale.

OK so you are a heavy user... for you and a lot (if not all) of other PC Linux Power Users Tablet won't be ideal... but if you consider all Computer Users in this world and age, what is the proportion of them being a Power User? I'm pretty sure it's not as much as casual users - this means for a lot of casual users they would find tablet and mobile devices adequate for their need... so maybe (in my opinion)... Linux Devs are considering that share of the market and hoping that with casual users so use to mobile layout... it wouldn't be so hard to use their Distribution

[yordan 10]

This leads us back to another previouly posted topic : what are you doing on your computer? If you just surf the web, watch movies, and sometimes type "hello" answering a mail, tablet is OK for you.If you have trouble touching the screen because your finger is bigger than the word you wanted to highlight, a tablet is not for you.Personnally I need feeling the keyboard letters going down when I press them, and I need to feel two of them having a different shape in order to help me the "f" and "j" without looking at the keyboard.

[manuleka 0]

starscream seems to disagree tremendously with the Touch Screen trend of Linux OS because it seems un-productive for power users like himself... the traditional layeout and theme are still available and will always be available in most Linux Distros for the next few years to come

[yordan 10]

This is a very old debate, Since several tens of years. How shall the man-machine interface be? Touching the screen is the most natural way, the light-pen is there for that purpose. However, if you use it on a vertical screen, you are tired after a couple of hours.Touching the screen is the worst solution, because your finger hides what you want to choose.The mouse is fully not natural, so should be forgotten.The best thing is the trackball, most of you don't know about it, it's like a mouse upside-down, you turn the ball in order to move the index. It's the most precise way, which gives the least ways of errors.And of course since the typing machines appeared, there are standard ways for learning the keyboard layout, so all secretaries learned how to enter words very efficiently.So, most of professional ways of designing an efficient and productive man-machine interface are absolutely not the ones for tablets. So, Linux should not go toward that stupid tablet-oriented interface.Of course, there is a fashion effect, so developers have to work on the tablet interface, and could use Linux as their developing tool. But this tool should not become the only man-machine interface for linux.

[mahesh2k 0]

I am not surprised yordan. I have that windows logo key not working for me on this old machine. But ever since i switched to xubuntu i don't need that key. I do agree that too much gaming and typing usually kills the keyboard. lol @manuleka. I agree that tablet is not a good deal to me. What I found weird is that just because few consumers (take females and casual users who never interact with full screen displays and keyboard much) are using more tablets, whole windows and linux designer teams are assuming that touch display is the future. This is where i strongly disagree.The reason I disagree with tablet interface is that many DE's in linux are heavily moving to tablet. I mean except xfce, lxde, awesome and few other DE's made for BSD/UNIX/Linux, other DE's like KDE, GNome and mainstream DE's are gone into tablet hype already. Is that good especially if you;re productive over their old interface? No. Is xfce and other simple interface are productive and eye-candy? no. does that make you feel using windows 98? yup :DReading kindle book is casual usage, it's not work. Reading blogs and newspaper on tablet is not work, it's casual usage. Now just because more people are buying tablets for that type of use, does that mean power usage is lowered? no. Does that mean tablet interface should be priority over desktop? no but we can't convince managers. The reason design world is flawed is because mangers are trying to find balance of money and accessibility. I also agree with last sentence of yordan. From what i see in linux world, they are heavily replacing simplicity with so-called accessibility of tablet interface and this makes others who are not interested to use single itnerface for all tasks. So why we every DE is striving for tablet? it's too early to switch to tablet. We're not even in the decade where touch or hologram displays are cheap, so forcing it on consumers and workplace users is what i don't like.