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  • #41
    Originally posted by nll_a
    The future is full-featured computers which fit in our pockets and make phone calls. But if one wants to stay with today's paradigms forever, whatever, they can go ahead.
    That really makes no sense. The actual user experience is going to depend on the input and viewing methods.

    Yeah, I could have Android on my desktop, but why would I want to? I would have to make so many compromises of work flow. Sure, Unity 8 promises "convergence" but let's be real here, they will have to make serious compromises on the desktop side as well to make one Unity across all form factors.

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    • #42
      Originally posted by johnc View Post
      let's be real here, they will have to make serious compromises on the desktop side as well to make one Unity across all form factors.
      Not exactly. It's not "one Unity" across all form factors. Rather, they are working on an API to allow apps to scale between different visual UIs that are optimized for each form factor. Hint: they are trying to build the UI API to hide most of the messy details from app devs so they can just focus on building their apps that will auto scale. I think it's reasonable to assume that the differences between a tablet and PC UI will probably be minor screen size depending. The phone UI is VASTLY different, however.

      Clearly some things probably just won't scale in any kind of meaningful automated way. I'm interested to see how they handle those cases (assuming their initial scaling efforts work to begin with).

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      • #43
        Originally posted by dee. View Post
        Desktop is far from dying. I think you buy too much into marketing hype instead of what is really happening. The thing is, on the desktop/laptop market, being innovative or superior doesn't really matter. If it did, Linux would have overtaken Windows a long time ago.

        People are going to MS because, get this: when the average joe goes to buy a computer, he goes to the electronics store in the nearby mall, and what he sees is 100% Windows computers. Not even a single Ubuntu around. Maybe some Chromebooks, but those have their own set of flaws. Sadly, MS doesn't even need to push a quality product. As you can see, they can easily squeeze out a half-baked turd like windows 8, and call it an OS, and people simply have to buy it because there are no alternatives (that they know of: sure, people may have heard of this thing called "Linux" or "Ubuntu", but they won't see it in their local electronics store, so they won't care).

        All the interface changes and innovations Ubuntu or any other Linux distro does are not going to matter, they are not going to gain mainstream popularity, as long as the #1 problem exists: there is no real retail presence. Consumers won't buy what consumers don't see.

        The #2 problem is software. There's still tons of software only available for Windows. Granted, that's less of a problem these days, thanks to constantly increasing amount of good quality open source software, and even some proprietary Linux software. But there are still tons of people who simply have to use Windows because of that one or two software that they absolutely need, and can't run on any other platform.

        Canonical is not going to be able to fix problem #1, no matter what they do. They simply don't have the necessary resources to do so, not on any meaningful scale. The best hope I can see for fixing problem #1 is Tizen: if Intel (or Samsung, or any of their partners) manages to bring out the Tizen ultrabook, they have the necessary clout to be able to get their product to the reach of the average joe, right next to the windows 8 laptops in the electronics stores at the malls and supermarkets.

        As for problem #2, it's solution is mostly dependent on the fixing of problem #1.
        It's more of a mixture of innovation AND marketing, you need to buy into this marketing hype if you want to understand how the mainstream media/consumer works. Linux has absolutely no marketing at all when it comes to the desktop (Canonical is trying though). You have Red Hat, sure, but they work strictly on servers. That's kinda what.. you're saying with the lack of Ubuntu computers around. No marketing = no buyers.

        With Canonical on the Touch and Phone interfaces, I sincerely hope that they do succeed, because I honestly couldn't stand Android the first time I used it (Asus TF101), it's basically an iOS ripoff that was sluggish and slow. It all comes down to the adoption of their Phone OS.

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        • #44
          And honestly -- if ever there were a way for Linux (not Android) was going to make a major play for consumers, via phones with convergence is it. I know people that are actively trying to make their phones their only computing device. They're living under the assumption that they lose anything resembling a desktop of they go this route and yet they STILL want to try. If you hand them a phone that lets them do both? There's serious money to be made there.

          It remains to be seen if Canonical can pull off their implementation. If they do -- then no other consumer Linux distro (again, Android notwithstanding) that will even come close to user adoption rates.

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