Tablets, SmartPhones, Touchscreen All-in-Ones - ts not a CPU

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gcmartin

Tablets, SmartPhones, Touchscreen All-in-Ones - ts not a CPU

#1 Post by gcmartin »

In my lifetime, I have seen the evolution of 6 types of individuals
  1. those who plugged boards to make a computer and its programs run (-1968) who had a disdain for assembler programmers
  2. those who wrote assembly language programs who had a disdain for higher level programmers
  3. those who programmed to create text applications had a disdain for object oriented programmers who created screened applications
  4. those who used text screens to control computers who had a disdain for "icons on screen" users
  5. those who use "click the static icons on screens" who today, have disdain for "pad"/smartphone approaches
  6. those who ...
But in EVERY case, time marched on and the "THOSE who ..." became relegated to the museums alongside dinosaurs while the masses moved ahead.

In the Puppy community, I am witnessing an awareness that we MAY NOT BE "THOSE who ...." as we too, may be evolving more rapidly than some expected.

Here's why
  • Puppy is a RAM based OS. Always has been its obscurely stated objective, both in development and support.
  • System RAM has grown from 256MB (in 2001) to 8GB on phones, pads, and PCs. This year and next we will see a 2-4X increase in this.
  • Active Video is becoming commonplace on everything
  • The doubling of processor power is continuing to march forward and vendor packaging
  • The world is already developed methods to "talk" to a system for development on devices
  • The world is already developed methods to "talk" to a system for user use on devices
  • The world is already developed methods to have the system use on-screen (touch) finger gestures to cause actions to occur on devices
  • The world is already developed methods to determine what to do based upon your gestures (older people has never used Xbox, PS3, or other games)
Puppylanders are bringing these things into focus within our community.

This technology has changed developers mindsets in the kinds and robustness they can address into an application because of technology advancement into the hands of the people. Developers have responded with useful application which continue to get more and more robust

We are on the dawning of a new level of how we look at presentation to any user. As well as how useful we make things for user of distros from this community.

Last year, it has become apparent that "pads" outsold laptops 2 to 1. The Last 2 years is the first years of a decline in desktops compare to laptops.

For Puppy, though, 2011 shows great strides in addressing technology that was missing. Puppy advance 32bit with PAE. It added methods to boot Puppy on the LAN with the booting PC needing NO CD/HDD drives to run Puppy (Netbooting). It sprang immediately after netbooting into running a cluster (several PC acting together as one) Puppy image. Then, to booting the cluster using netbooting technology (this should have been any Puppy developer's dream as it promises to spit_out a distro in minutes instead of hours).

In the third quarter of last year, 2011, was the first time in Puppy's history when a Puppy was developed that "matched" the services users get from any Microsoft or Apple "out-of-the-box". This was Lighthouse64. This is a first, OOTB, that will work with game devices, media devices, entertainment device, and PCs on the LAN. We have had multi-device working with each other over the LAN on all modern PCs this century.
But Puppy, was like a child who hadn't grown-up until Lighthouse provided an OOTB solution for our community. (BTW, it saddened me to see that its author has been besieged with a debilitating illness since his contribution.)

And, in the fourth quarter, a 32bit Puppy was enabled with the feature that when added, allow Puppy to provide similar LAN attachment services seen in Microsoft and Apple. I am expecting some of our distro development community will be also recognizing this as they advance 32nit Puppy distros in 2012.

In our community, we're reaching a cross-road in 2012. The discussion of distro size is now irrelevant! I repeat; the discussion of distro size does NOT have the same meaning it had in 2005? I repeat; technology has presented all of us with features which can accommodate a "new design point".

The community has had a tradition of focusing on distro size. There have been many reasons for this given over the years. Without listing each and every one of these, we must understand that our personal feelings must be aligned with where technology is going. And, some in the community are focused on 32bit/64bit/Intel/AMD/Rasberry/etc. My background tells me that these are ill-focused discussions as the industry vendors will do this independent of our "views" and our focus. The old saying of "can't see the forest for the trees" only means that if we adjust our view ever so slightly, we will see the trees and the forest. This is where we are today. In need to adjust so that we're sustainable.

Thus, in reality, its the UI that is reining supreme as users don't care about such RAM/CPU discussions anymore. Its about the UI, services, and performance. NOT CPU/RAM!

So, if we acknowledge that PCs as we old-folks know it is showing signs of decline (it's really not the PC as it is the UI on PCs versus "smartphone's-pad's UI") then the Puppy community needs to do what is natural in nature....ADAPT! or become extinct.

I think most, who read this, understand what is being shared here. This leads to ask the following:
  • Which way are we going to go?
  • How much influence does any of us have?
  • What do any of the younger (in mind) of us feel would be attractive to gathering a larger community of user of all ages?
  • And, if we intend to stay with our monolithic model, will we ever advance to allow a single/multiple user(s) to access the desktop from the LAN/WAN with Puppy having such services as XRDP? (This, I believe to be the last of the LAN applications PUPPY is missing.)
Yes, there are several approaches to steering around a dead-end.

Will we???

gcmartin

#2 Post by gcmartin »

Should have expalined earlier. UI is User Interface...The Screen.

Hope this helps

aen
Posts: 34
Joined: Thu 15 Apr 2010, 17:45

Tablets,SmartPhones,Touchscreen All-in-ones

#3 Post by aen »

I am not a developer - just a user of Puppy who benefits from the fantastic work of people willing to put hours of work into this distro and it's many Puplets and share it with folks like me.

I actually do not take much issue with your post, except for the fact that you seem to ignore the millions of desktop PC's that are currently in use by folks like myself to get work done in addition to browsing, chatting, twittering, face booking etc.

I also use an e-reader/tablet. I could never do the work I need to do on the e-reader/tablet. My grown children have IPads & IPhones, and so do my grandkids. I have used them and they are wonderful - but, try doing a spread sheet on an Iphone.

What is clear to me from my perspective is that people will choose a platform that suits what they do with the device. That leaves PC's a long long long way to go before they become extinct.

The beauty of Linux vs. Apple/Windows is the very fact that you have a choice. If apple decides one day to eliminate their PC's that will be the end of the discussion for those in their arena. If you don't like Ubuntu's new Unity interface, you have a universe of choices to maintain your preference.

I use Puppy on an IBM ThinkPad T20. That laptop would be in a landfill if it were not for Puppy. I say let's not worry so much about keeping up because in my experience, staying a step behind usually put you way ahead.

gcmartin

Re: Tablets,SmartPhones,Touchscreen All-in-ones

#4 Post by gcmartin »

@AEN, I am in agreement with your observation about family. I also agree with the lag behind. But, I point out we are already behind as the UI it where this is going. I don't mean to diminish the importance of the PC (laptops inclusive), but i want to call attention to what happeining in business across the world as they, too, are beginning to "arm" their employees with this new weaponry; namely touch-screen UI that are interactive multi-media devices.

I have shared earlier that voice developement tools are in existence where a developer "talks" an applicatioin into existence.

I have seen interactive cars. I have seen face-recognition technology which tell the desk person the name of the patient who has just walked up to the counter.

These multi-media requirements are what your family and mine will be "tooling" with as the future settles upon us. And, as that future comes, we also ....

These things dont use keyboards or mice. They are touch, video, audio interactive personal units which will allow me to inport a file into a screadsheet and assign functions to cells and colums. Oracle, IBM and Microsoft database products are already on this. The future is more coming at us versus us going to it.

And, the last senior level IT education class I sat in on doesn't talk about bit-bytes. They are speaking a different language which corporations are seeking from their developers. They are focusing on new UIs, as well as new methods of exploiting and presenting data for use. Thus, it is morphing that uint you and I will be holding in our hands for personal or business needs.

Hope this clarifies a little of what I share for open comment. Again, its the UI and that UI is multimedia and personally interactive (as in touch).

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#5 Post by Lobster »

PCs as we old-folks know it is showing signs of decline
What can be done?
Sadly the thought activated WiiQ is not yet available
http://tmxxine.com/wiiq/

Being aware of touch enabled window managers is one direction
Moving to portable devices starts with PARM
http://puppylinux.org/wikka/PARM

I also urge people to start using tablets and smartphones
If we do not accommodate Android apps
we are Doggy Dodo

Puppy Linux
Past, Present and Future
Puppy Raspup 8.2Final 8)
Puppy Links Page http://www.smokey01.com/bruceb/puppy.html :D

aen
Posts: 34
Joined: Thu 15 Apr 2010, 17:45

Tablets, SmartPhones, Touchscreens All-in-ones

#6 Post by aen »

gcmartin - you are obviously more informed on this subject than I am.

I would love to be able to use a Linux Distro like Puppy on my e-reader tablet. It is a 7" Android 2.2 e-reader with tablet functionality and I love the device. However, I am an amateur photographer who is heavily into the GIMP and it's digital darkroom capabilities. I could not possibly do the kinds of things I can now on my tablet device that I do with GIMP on my PC. Just screen size and image resolution would eliminate the tablet. With activity like this, I am not thinking about the "commands" I want to input, but rather using the program to experiment and creatively modify a picture.

Interestingly enough, my daughter uses her Ipad wireless key board to do serious work other than e-mail. For that she uses the touchscreen keyboard.

You are right, the future is coming at us, but people are still going to decide what works best for them and the marketplace will always need to accommodate those needs.

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