- spankibaltWe got taught in first and second grade, reading maps and navigating by them included. Was neccessity for Schnitzeljagd and other scavenger hunt-type games. But, to be fair, most kids already knew how to read timepieces.
- > "GP clearly said that it was Jobs' obsession that was revolutionary."
And that's utterly inaccurate; nothing about that kind of behavior was revolutionary in any way; lots of CEOs were, are and will be obsessed with quality. If they can translate that into product lines, and to what extend, is written on another piece of paper.
I, for my part, was never impressed with Apple; their only product I really liked was one that Jobs allegedly hated: the Newton.
> "In bringing up modern Apple, you are arguing against things no one here has said."
It contrasts the criticism of modern Windows the guy I replied to brought up. :)
> "And are you actually claiming that Windows is an open ecosystem...?"
Uhm... no. But the IBM-compatible family obviously was and still is (x86/x64). It's not exactly Sharp's OS-agnostic "clean computer" concept, but it's the next best thing.
> "And in fact so great is its openness that slow UX isn't even a problem?"
Again, no. I said the Windows UX is, or can be, fast enough and is therefore virtually a non-problem (Windows's problems have much more to do with Microsoft's abominable corporate culture).
Unless you're computer illiterate and bloat-up your system with badly-coded applications, and/or don't do due dilligence by way of choosing, streamlining and maintaining the best Windows version for you in the first place. And yes, I'm aware that both can sometimes not be avoided as one is forced into specific toolchains.
- > "If there's one thing that I think was revolutionary about Jobs, it was his obsession with quality and user experience."
You're talking about specific user experiences based on Jobs's dogmas. There's also absolutely nothing revolutionary about quality and user experience for that existed long before Steve Jobs "invented" it. ;)
> "A lot of the reason people are hating on windows now-a-days is because "fast enough" has become the name of the game for UX."
Apple is good enough married to a closed-off eco system. Almost like 16-bit home computers back in the day, but worse. The off-the-rack experience, just with modern enshittification.
PCs can be good enough, too. But here I have the option for something made-to-wear or even bespoke. That includes the many-flavored Windows; fast enough UX is an almost negligible part of the equation.
- > "I never understood why people claim the Macbook is so good."
Apple's good enough for the average consumer, just like a 16-bit home computer back in the day. Everyone who looks for something bespoke/specialized (e. g. certified dual- or multi-OS support, ECC-RAM, right-to-repair, top-class flicker-free displays, size, etc.) looks elsewhere, of course.
- > "Today the only option for less than 10" are Android tablets and they are far from a PC."
Yeah, outside of the odd offering from GPD or their knock-off crews every now and then, that segment only exist in the industry-PC market ("ruggedized"). Everything else is indeed ToyOS land. Or indie hopefuls, most of which either don't make it to market or are not powerful enough.
- Merry Christmas, bambini.
- > "People (not necessarily the author, [...] will lament how manufacturers don’t have upgradable ram, etc and then turn around and are upset at the bulkiness of a repairable laptop, or the price."
I desire sturdyness and repairability but anything larger than a 14-inch machine (and then only either as detachable or at least convertible) is completely inacceptable to me. And that 14-incher better be a dream. In other words: As small and light as possible, as big and heavy as neccessary.
- Indeed. Weiss came up as conservative troll and engagement farmer, and was hired as such by Ellison.
- > "I had a CS teacher in school who spent a lot of his free time on software for people who take part in pidgeon racing competitions."
Fascinating! Do you have a link, or at least a name?
- Becoming slopulacrum after taking out the slops via insta. Gud lorde...
- > "Generating placeholder assets is completely acceptable, etc."
Not if it's against the rule. They got caught with skidmarks. And while the "Ackshually, those skidmarks are just placeholders"-defense may elicit a few cheap laughs, it doesn't matter if you follow the rule to its logical conclusion. Any possible deception in such cases comes on top of it. As it always has; that doesn't change just because you found a new plaything (LLMs) in the box.
- Correct decision. Skidmarks were detected to be present and it wasn't sabotage or somesuch. That means no award as skidmarks are considered so unprofessional at that particular award that, at this point, there's a rule against them.
- The Old Man and the C
But who is Terry Davis? Some sort of bird fancier?
- > "I'm the complete opposite."
Very much the same; many a US writer's prose is terribly tedious, it comes across just as clinical as their HOA-approved suburban hellscapes. Somebody once told me a writer's job is also to expand language. It wasn't a US citizen.
- In paradise, the unemployed pay taxes for being unemployed to the owners of "AI" systems. :*
- One could grade how close or accurate one's reaction was to "reacting the right way in similar situations", which was the stated goal:
> "Because my goal is to react the right way in similar situations, [...]."
- Reportedly, dolphins are notorious rapists. So maybe there's more to this story...
- > "You need to operate this as a business first, [...] Make a competitive product."
Not only that, but you should not get suckered down into overcomplicating things by chasing complex novelties, e. g. integrated slider- or clamshell-implemented keyboards, silly and outdated form factors (clamshell UMPCs, OQO already showed the way), etc.
You want a good, small keyboard? Design it to be attachable. This is possible in a variety of ways and can be adapted to your manufacturing expertise. It also leaves open third-party hardware support for your device. Not to mention maintainability/repairability. It's utterly puzzling to me how many hardware start-ups already fuck up the basics.
And never forget: In a satured market, even catering to a niche, means you should go for a somewhat unique feature set. How many ultramobile devices are out there that are truly accessible and usable? That goes beyond just safety or repairability.
OLED screen? I'd rather prefer something PWM-free. Precision control? Digitizer/stylus support. You don't even need to house the stylus in the device. But it would be very useful to have at least one. Audio? Yeah, 3.5 mm is a must. Dedicated, easy-access mSD (Express) card slot? Yes, please. Exchangeable batteries? Good idea, as long as it's a standard design in good supply. Kill switches. Maybe a modular camera set up like those Chinese flagships that are otherwise rather useless. Full-feature connectivity (1-2 x USB 4). Etc.
- > "I was a politically motivated person when I was a teenager. Of all the books that radicalized me, it was the Aynd Rand books (Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged) that did."
A heartfelt "Thank you!" to Ken on account of having at least the courtesy of saving cool people's time by putting the Origin Story into the first sentences.