A true concern about the very future of Puppylinux

What features/apps/bugfixes needed in a future Puppy
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puppyiso
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A true concern about the very future of Puppylinux

#1 Post by puppyiso »

When I posted my concern about the disappearing PC, no body listened.

Even laughed. They all believed that their PC would last forever.

It's the in the path of computer's evolution.

From the hugh white elephant desktop to portable noteboot to lighter, smaller netbooks and now tablet PC.


Right now apps are all contents consuming but when people realize they need only one computing device, they will dump PC without thinking twice.

Then the develpers have to survive. Photoshop will not die, it will be back in either a form of web app or iphone app.

Then no one needs PC.

If puppylinux, which is mostly being developed for x86 PC, are slow to adapt the changing current, it will extict.

HP finally dropped its PC department. And I knopw for a fact that my 3 year old PC is worth not even $0 because no one wants it.

PCs will die sooner than you think.

It's time to make ARM or other mobile CPU oriented puppy just to survive.

Software Puppy cannot live without supporting hardware.

I have seen some effort to diversify but not enough and we don't have much time.

When surviving PC is hard to come by, users will fade away and so will be this forum

I don't wanna see Puppylinux as a past memory thing.

John 20th of Aug, year 2011.

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Re: A true concern about the very future of Puppylinux

#2 Post by tlchost »

puppyiso wrote: HP finally dropped its PC department. And I knopw for a fact that my 3 year old PC is worth not even $0 because no one wants it.
HP dropped it because it was not profitable enough.....others will buy it and produce PC's.

PC's are like film cameras.....you can find a film camera, very limited functions, for a buck.

Since your PC is not worth anything, I'll take it and gift it to a senior citizen on fixed income(I exercise first right of refusal based on shipping costs).

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Flash
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#3 Post by Flash »

I think there are applications which will always prefer to be run on local PCs with fast system buses, powerful processors and lots of RAM. Photoshopping large high-res pictures, for instance, will probably remain much faster on such a PC than it would be in the "cloud," at least until everyone has optical fiber to their house. It may be that Photoshop will have to sell such PCs on the side for people who need them.

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#4 Post by nooby »

puppyiso I think you are right but the others can be right too.

Short version


Now as long as no current Dev of Puppy are into ARM Dev that do means what you fear.
If ARM based computers will be totally dominant in the future then Puppy only exists
as long as there are computer hardware that survive the 5 to 10 years of the battery that back up the CMOS clock RAM :) or the HDD last longer than the 2 to 5 years them last now. Then Puppy will only exists for 5 years more ?


Longer version :)
What I trust you get very right that for the masses there will be mass produced cheap things that puppy will not run on.

But the others are right that for special purposes there are niches that could retain a small amount of PCs that need that power to give the quality needed.

CAD most likely need fast computers and PC do provide that power for them.

Gamers that love photo realistic fast games that has fast responses and so on.

Music makers that need high quality needs it.

Edit I forgot to tell you that these machines will be so expensive that only the Computer enthusiast will pay for them. That is almost as it is now. A true PC for Gaming is some 5 times more expensive than the cheapest machine I bought. HP SR5622 cost me some 2000SEK while a true Gamers machine would cost me at least four to five times more.
Them even having Water cooling and two power supplies and so on.

But the average person go with the flow and ARM does seems to have the cost benefit to be what last for a while unless intel manage to make something cheap and power consumption and price conscious to compete with ARM.

Not easy to know but it sure looks you are right.

Now as long as no current Dev of Puppy are into ARM Dev that do means what you fear. If ARM will be totally dominant in the future then Puppy only exists as long as there are computer hardware that survive the 5 to 10 years of the battery that back up the CMOS clock RAM :)

Then people rather buy something new then to change the battery.

Or when the HDD give up after two or three years of daily use then them buy a new one. I've already bought two new computers due to HDD failure.

As I remember Flash here had a HDD failure and decided to skep HDD altogether and just use DVD instead.

I read that now them have made DVD that last some 1000 years for back up purpose. DVD made out of "Stone" :)

Considering that statistically due to me rather old I live maybe at most ten more years I have to accept that everything will be ARM for a while.
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rcrsn51
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#5 Post by rcrsn51 »

For another opinion, here is the summary of a recent article in the Toronto Star.
In Japan, iPad isn't worth the weight
Tokyo workers shun Apple tablet, sticking with lightweight laptops

"After the iPad, I carried the iPad, a charger for the iPad, the laptop, the charger for the laptop and the brochures."

"Japanese businessmen already tend to carry around light laptops because they're on the train so often," said Masahiro Katayama, a PC group manager at IDC. "IPads are not suited for inputting and processing data, so people end up having both their laptops and iPads."

"In the U.S., it's clear what the iPad offers with its size and weight, but in Japan, iPads fail to distinguish themselves as a business tool from lightweight laptops," said Ichiro Michikoshi, an analyst at research firm BCN Inc. in Tokyo.
Last edited by rcrsn51 on Sat 20 Aug 2011, 14:52, edited 1 time in total.

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#6 Post by Terryphi »

Anyone doing serious work on a computer needs a large screen desktop PC. A handheld device will never be good enough.
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Re: A true concern about the very future of Puppylinux

#7 Post by L18L »

puppyiso wrote:When I posted my concern about the disappearing PC, no body listened.

Even laughed. They all believed that their PC would last forever.
Hi John,

no I did not laugh.
Because my PCs have already been disappearing.

But behind my large widescreen monitor there is a little box that is containing more power than any PC I ever had. :)
No floppy
no CD
no DVD
just USB sticks for a long time
(and now a SSD)

And there are things in life that are more important than PCs
It is just a hobby :)

Best regards
L

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#8 Post by noryb009 »

This article was written today.

I don't see the PC going anywhere soon. Laptops didn't kill desktops, and they do the exact same thing. While tablets and smart phones may be better in some ways, most people would find a PC more useful if they had to choose.

I can see PCs dieing in 10 - 20 years, but not now.

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#9 Post by technosaurus »

It's all an issue of supply and demand. When used ARM based tablets start outnumbering old PCs _and_ are cheaper at the local thrift shop, a new litter of pups will emerge. Until then it is just FUD.

BTW whatever happened to the infotab (the tablet version of the gecko edubook)... I had planned to get one of those and puppify it... I even toyed with docking xvkbd in an auto-hide jwm tray... but it never materialized and that was 2+ years ago.
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#10 Post by stu90 »

i was very tempted recently by one of those little form factor PC's L18L is referring to - just a shame my TV with HDMI socket burnt out not so long back so i have nothing to attach one to. :(

Personally i don't see these cheap tablets replacing dekstops / laptops any time soon - if you want to edit photos / videos you wont be doing it on a low powered 7 inch touch screen.

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borgbucolic
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Addressing Your Concerns

#11 Post by borgbucolic »

This is the first time I've posted here, but I have been using Puppy in and out since the version 2 days. (BTW guys, great job on 5.2.8, works great)
I'm not sure the "suggestions" forum is the correct place for this post. If not, apologies.

Even though the latest Puppy version is more supportive of newer hardware, the Puppy philosophy of supporting older computing equipment still underpins much of its flavor. I cannot speak for anyone but myself, but I don't believe that Puppy's target audience (so to speak) is aimed at the newer portable devices out there. Then, I'm only putting forth my opinion.

Having said that....

As for the dire predictions of death for the desktop PC, sure, there are some people who just use their computers for email, solitaire, and finding the name of that actor on Wikipedia. They might be quick to save the table space and ditch their computer for a smart phone or tablet. Keep in mind that these same people are unlikely to adopt Linux or even a current version of Windows. They are using whatever their computer came with. While they could ditch their PC, they are just as likely to use their televisions to do the same things. Yes, there are televisions that are coming on the market that contain a PC internally and can browse the web. They wouldn't necessarily purchase an ARM powered device.

As for the rest of us who do work at home, a tablet or television won't cut it. At the same time, the PC has improved little over the last few years. Sure, they have added multiple processors, more memory, larger storage, and heavier graphics cards, but PC technology has pretty much topped out. At the same time, the output media a PC can produce hasn't grown all that much either (not for a home user at least). I'm not willing to plunk down money for little gains and to support newer resource hungry operating systems. I'm not willing to use (Windows). Also, a tablet is not a full fledged laptop either. If I cannot wire a projector, USB stick, and remote clicker into it, I cannot use it on a work basis. What I am trying to say is that their are a lot of PC users out there unwilling to toss their PCs, or even by new PCs, in favor of portable devices.

Will PC computers decline? Sure, in exactly the same way that home stereo systems have declined since MP3 players have come out.

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#12 Post by puppyiso »

I just now wrote a long "essay" on my opinion but it's gone.

The points were;

1> People need only one computing device and iPhone and iPad are hard to put off. PC is less used or totally ignored and would get rid of.


2> People use computing devices for entertainment or news nowadays.
Photoshop, office, 3ds max would appear as app when the majority become the followers of the Lord Steve Jobs and his pirates.

3> HP sold off PC dept based on the possibility of dark future not on profitabilty. Who takes over doesn't matter. Business has no heart jut money.

And people expect alot from computers. New videoes are HD needing high power not old low powered computers.

4> Everyone is using HDMI so 10 inch limit is not a problem and it's getting more HD and more powerful than PCs.

These are the reasons why I think so.

I don't want to see puppy on life support with slow dull left over under powered PC. Today's PC are like cassette tapes, beepers, answering machines of the past. You gotta let go of old junks. They are not collectables or valuable antiques. Just useless space taking power eating soon to be self destructing by gone era stuff.

All I am saying is that we have to consider the possibility of future direction in computer business and keep up with the wave.

Carring and using iPad cannot be compared with that of notebooks. You need to sitdown. IT IS NOT TRUELY PORTABLE.

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#13 Post by puppyiso »

Simpy put, I think we need ARM based puppylinux which we can install on originally Android devices.

That little device will take over wht PC would do for us.

When enemy shoots with automatic firearms, would you keep using beloved good old 1800s single action Colt?

It's like yellow skinned American natives fighting with bows and arrows against white skinned illegal immigrants from Europe armed with guns.

US history showed that GUNS are better than Arrows and bows.

Long live NRA and keep all US citizens armed to teeth!! :lol:

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#14 Post by Lobster »

I think we need ARM based puppylinux
It can be done.
There is no single cheap mass market ARM device
or set of standards. Not yet.
There are options.

I am not sure I want an x86 tablet . . .

If I use a tablet or smartphone for any length
of time I start touching the screen to by pass the mouse
. . . it does not work - (no touch screen being used) :oops:
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#15 Post by nooby »

puppyiso I trust that you are right but I am not sure of if making a Puppy for ARM really help us much.

The hardware firms are dependent on the software firms to get enough volume and puppy are not into such mass market as Android and Apple are at.

Don't both HTC and Samsung have a complicated relation to the "root" cottage industry that have customized ROM to sell? Them locking the hardware so only them can go root. Locking out everybody else then the firm that the hardware company have contract with.

So we may have in future a Puppy for ARM but no hardware to run it on because we get blocked from rooting and booting.

So the only way to go with the flow would be for us to pay a hardware firm to make a version that had puppy on it.
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#16 Post by amigo »

nooby, why on earth would you want to be able to run phone as user 'root'. I think you don't really understand what is meant by 'rooting' a phomne or tablet -it has nothing to do with the user called 'root' or being able to run the device as that user.

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#17 Post by nooby »

Why do them use that word then? Sure I am a poor reader of text but them do say that them root it. so what else could it mean?
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#18 Post by dagodemon42 »

Nooby, to "root" an Android phone or other device means to gain root priveleges. These are needed to install custom firmware. The device makers don't wan't you doing this. "Jailbreaking" is another term for gaining root priveleges. The hacking community comes up with a way to do this, and the manufacturers defeat it with firmware updates.

gcmartin

#19 Post by gcmartin »

FWIW there is a lot of truth (and untruth) in what is said throughout this thread.

The untruth: The PCs will fade away. The truth: The PC (Personal Computer) will morph into Personal Computing (PC with a new meaning)

Yes, the OP is correct about thinking of how Puppy will look 5 years from now. Much of what we do today is aimed at current desktops in this forum's community

But, like the OP, I have been watching and helping others in moving to current technologies ONLY because I foresee a future where they won't need to change things over the next 3-5 years.

This does not mean that the technology I put them on will be around. No, it means that for the "use requirement" they have, the technology will serve them without change for that long/longer.

Example, 3 weeks ago, I had a senior member who is NOT savvy about computers wanting to make a purchase for PC so that he can "do Internet". Every relative he had suggested some kind of computer without ever looking at his lifestyle. I have spent my whole life in requirements planning and have been involved with systems for over 43 years (I started as a child).

My solution for him .... GoogleTV from Logitech for $99. Why,
  • He spends a lot of time watching TV, answering the tele, and his Grandson+Son got him an Android at the beginning of the year.
  • He loves the simple use of his Android for communicating with his Grandson who is off to college.
  • He is technology challenged
  • He likes Windows because he considers it easy to use (actually he is accustomed to that look)
  • He is adamant about refusing to carry anything around other than his phone.
  • He has a Google ID for gmail.
  • He has a 8 month old, modern, flat TV hanging on hs wall (almost 50 inches).
  • He already has a antique (4 years old) desktop that his nephew has transferred a lot of his albums (vinyl) into a folder shared by that Windows PC.
Not only has he been grateful, but I can't stop the telephone calls from him about another fearture he has found useful that he is doing from his armchair.

If you don't know what Logitech Revue is doing YOU had better look. A centralized entertainment focus that he controls from his Android or from the keyboard. This "ole guy" (like many of us) is thrilled as he feels this is something he can easily learn and make useful....from his armchair in the eves. He now has access to his PC, he has access to his data on the PC, he has access to his TV programming, he has access to his Photos and Music from the iIternet, he is thrilled that when he takes a picture now, he can instantly see it on the internet, and he just yesterday brought the companion camera so that he can have and do video calling with his grandkids. And, he didnt have to have technician to instruct him on that . Just my standing with him at setup.

When things get this easy to use productively and when you can do if from your personal device (Android in this case) you have just dealt a blow where less and less people will be sitting in front of desktops and laptops.

Oh, and remember my announcement months ago about IBM and vocal app development. Did anyone other than me understand that no keyboard was used?

This is NOT anti-desktop/laptop as it is about the changing landscape we are seeing in developed countries. I only wish that these changes could cascade to everyone worldwide as I fear, the divide is getting bigger and bigger.

Yep, the "PC" is changing in what it used to mean, to the new definition that "PC" is becoming!

The Paradigm from what we had for years on the desktop is changing to having constant access, services, and applications from a places we never dreamed of in the past. And the new vendors are making it so easy for users that its no wonder thar they are successful. They are moving us rapidly from keyboard-mouse to "gestures" with keyboard-mouse being secondary.

We are still talking PC (Intel/AMD/ARM/TI/Motoroa) in this thread. Its NOT any of those. Its the new meaning of PC.

If you want to start a new thread or a new area on this froum, it should be about gesture and voice technologies and advancements-expansion for those in front of some screened device. Now that the future!

IMHO

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#20 Post by puppyiso »

Whether it is called PC or whatever, whether PC survives for longer than expectected period of time, important thing is that most of the puppies being made are for x86 architecture which is quite old in the term of computer world.

I have seen some effort trying other CPUs here but no ARM so far.

So what I am suggesting is to build or to try ARM based Puppy.

We are being surrounded by ARM cpus daily and they will replace the classic intel x86 before we know it.

I do have old low powered x86 computer at home and a slightly more powerful ATOM processor in a netbook.

I couldn't bear to use the old low powered x86. Just tooooooo slow and many things are simply not possible.

I don't understand why some one would want those white elephants, I mean snails .

Please don't say old folks would use them. They worked hard all their life and the damn slow machine is all they get?

They, including a senor like me, deserve the fastest, most powerful computer currently available. They should enjoy the fruits of their life long labor.

Old computers are sold to Africa but it is an insult to the people. The blacks shouldn't take over white people's headache. It will only deepen the digital divide which is already serious.

When I use the internet, slow machine consum more time to get the same amount of information just because they are really under powered.

Old computers are just junks nothing more. That's why Lord Steve Jobs make McBook air mostly recyclable.(Yeah the guy is Lord now haha..)

The difference in function and power between PC and tablet would be blurred soon. It's just a matter of time.

That small iPad will become more powerful and will have more High Density resolusions. And then there are huge LCD, LED and 3D TVs.

These two will be great mates. You can connect them with HDMI or wireless connectors. Wired or wirelessed keyboard and or motion sensitive input device will be implemented to act like PC and do every thing what current PCs do.

Photoshop app, 3ds Max app may be Blender app and so on.

So the small size screen and the lack of input devices wouldn't stop tablets from taking over PCs.

Small is beautiful and people seem like the idea.

Compare 80s Motorola mobile phone with today's. smaller.
Compare the old CRT monitors with today's LCD monitors, again smaller.
Compare barely portable notebooks with McBook air.. smaller.

I don't mind x86 machines are bulky.

But I do mind the death of x86 and Puppylinux consequently.

Technically, I know nothing about x86 and ARM. so I scream to get some attention of people who may be able to come up with ARM Puppylinux.

Getting on ARM or other popular new mobile CPU is more imperative than experimenting on x86 64bit or other less illuminated CPUs.

Lets not talk about PC would survive or not.

Lets talk about how to make possible Puppy on ARM or other mobile CPU.

I am not saying x86 Puppy sould be stopped. I am saying considering Puppy on ARM is needed at least for some of US.

I am kind of tired of telling people what's coming soon to their computing life soon.

Like my very own wife who was too lazy to lift a finger to call real estate agents to push them to sell my only estate. I was thinking the house prices would go down soon even here in China so I told her a few times because I was busy doing somethingelse.

Now the stock crashed. Thanks, Obama... I worry how I am gonna sell my house. Nobody listens. including ma' wife. Thank you, honey.

And thank you, Puppy people, for not listening.

ARM is coming armed to teeth with death sentence. I told you.

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