Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 5th Jul 2012 22:27 UTC, submitted by Piet Simons
Interesting charts by Horace Dediu: "As a result the Mac began to whittle down the advantage Windows had. The ratio of Windows to Mac units shipped fell to below 20, a level that was last reached before Windows 95 launched. It's as if the Mac reversed the Windows advantage. This was an amazing turnaround for the Mac. But the story does not end there." Too bad Dediu didn't include Android devices in his charts. The picture would change dramatically, and would downplay the important of either Windows or Mac/iOS. We're in a three-horse race - not the two-horse race Dediu paints.
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RE[5]: You can't have your cake and eat it too
by shmerl on Fri 6th Jul 2012 06:59
in reply to "RE[4]: You can't have your cake and eat it too"
Member since:2010-06-08
I can imagine how someone will try using a complex IDE, graphical or publishing / video / audio editors, or some 3D modeling software on a tablet. It's simply doesn't let such kind of usage productively. So desktops aren't going anywhere. Tablets might become more widespread, but desktops are here to stay. And it's good to remember, that making and debugging programs for those very tablets developers will prefer using comfortable widescreen monitors and ergonomic keyboards. Therefore any universal OS needs to address regular desktop use case.
Edited 2012-07-06 07:02 UTC
RE[6]: You can't have your cake and eat it too
by Nelson on Fri 6th Jul 2012 07:12
in reply to "RE[5]: You can't have your cake and eat it too"
Member since:2005-11-29
RE[6]: You can't have your cake and eat it too
by zima on Thu 12th Jul 2012 21:01
in reply to "RE[5]: You can't have your cake and eat it too"
Member since:2005-07-06
I can imagine how someone will try using a complex IDE, graphical or publishing / video / audio editors, or some 3D modeling software on a tablet. It's simply doesn't let such kind of usage productively. So desktops aren't going anywhere. Tablets might become more widespread, but desktops are here to stay.
I refuse to believe you have such weak imagination... it looks more as if you're purposefully trying to not see how absolutely awesome "a complex [...] graphical or publishing / video / audio editors, or some 3D modeling software" can be on a touchscreen.
Preferably a largish touchscreen, for most of them, sure - but that's still closer to a tablet than to a traditional desktop.
And/or, possibly similarly great, synthesis of the two - where ~tablet acts as the primary input device, most of the interactive elements on it (while large monitor - all wirelessly connected perhaps - offers mostly a full-screen preview of edited video or newspaper layout, for example; still very different from present desktops, with very different UI model)
That leaves IDE...
And it's good to remember, that making and debugging programs for those very tablets developers will prefer using comfortable widescreen monitors and ergonomic keyboards. Therefore any universal OS needs to address regular desktop use case.
...which is done by minuscule number of people. So don't be surprised if "any universal OS" won't be pandering to them too much. Maybe that means a sort of return of one category of old-style workstations / terminals. Maybe they'll be happy with hooking up a keyboard to the "more touch" OS. Maybe touchscreen for ~input + large display for ~output will often suffice (with keyboard displayed on the touchscreen - you might shrug it off, but good development is not about typing a lot quickly). We'll see, the sky won't fall either way (or, possibly, if we'll do all of those three, and maybe some other variants)
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2005-11-29
I just really don't think so. As Desktops become more and more niche devices, they command less and less attention. I think many people have a desktop to have one, not because they actually get tons of work done on it. Switching to other form factors I think will be natural and an eventuality for a lot of consumers.