Thread: The world according to Steve Jobs

  1. #1
    Registered User VirtualAce's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Posts
    9,607

    The world according to Steve Jobs

    The PC has been diagnosed as dying yet again.
    Steve Jobs predicts tablets to replace personal computers - Times Online

  2. #2
    C++ Witch laserlight's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    28,413
    Steve forgot to take his tablets this morning...
    Quote Originally Posted by Bjarne Stroustrup (2000-10-14)
    I get maybe two dozen requests for help with some sort of programming or design problem every day. Most have more sense than to send me hundreds of lines of code. If they do, I ask them to find the smallest example that exhibits the problem and send me that. Mostly, they then find the error themselves. "Finding the smallest program that demonstrates the error" is a powerful debugging tool.
    Look up a C++ Reference and learn How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

  3. #3
    ... kermit's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Posts
    1,534
    Maybe give him an iPhonecall, and remind him to do that.

  4. #4
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    8,446
    Aspirin sells more than 2 million, probably in every single day. I think Aspirin will replace surgery.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  5. #5
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    He's got a point though, most people are not more interested in programming their computer than their VCR. An easy interface that hides anything but the users content is probably not a bad idea for most users.

  6. #6
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    segmentation fault
    Posts
    8,300
    Well y'all may enjoy this recent event:

    YouTube - iPad smashed by MeetUp.com at NY Tech Meetup

    That's the founder/CEO of MeetUp.com. It's a little hard to tell in the video, but according to an independent report he really did put an ipad in the bag.
    Last edited by MK27; 06-13-2010 at 03:47 PM.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

  7. #7
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    8,446
    Quote Originally Posted by Subsonics View Post
    He's got a point though, most people are not more interested in programming their computer than their VCR.
    Ah, you are right, of course. PCs are only useful for programming.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  8. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    Quote Originally Posted by Mario F. View Post
    Ah, you are right, of course. PCs are only useful for programming.
    I did not mean literarily only programming, but say other closely related activities, system administration etc. For the so called "power users" I believe there will still be workstation type boxes but, IMO the majority of the market for "personal" computing will go towards simpler interfaces that let the user focus on their vacation pictures, posting on facebook etc.

  9. #9
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    8,446
    and gaming, and managing their bills with a tactile keyboard, and studying, and listening to music on the tablet formidable sound output, and burning CDs, and doing that cool thing you see on pictures everywhere: hold it with one hand, make a flashy smile while they oh-so-efficiently type with just the other hand

    And all the while sitting on a couch with no real comfortable position to use the tablet... or lying it on a table and forgetting everything they have been taught about correct sitting positions.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  10. #10
    Registered User VirtualAce's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Posts
    9,607
    For the so called "power users" I believe there will still be workstation type boxes but, IMO the majority of the market for "personal" computing will go towards simpler interfaces that let the user focus on their vacation pictures, posting on facebook etc.
    Have you ever tried to type on the thing? What a nightmare.

  11. #11
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    Ok, you both got valid points but I did not really refer to the ipad per se but more to the concept and the future of PC's. I believe it's apples take on the netbook segment, let's say recreational mobile computing. But expanding the concept to something more business or work related would obviously require a keyboard.

    The sound of the thing would depend on if you connect it to an amplifier, it's no different than any pc, you can do that wirelessly BTW.

  12. #12
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    3,229
    I think people will go back to PCs once the hype (newness) ends.

    I've used a tablet for a year. The first few months are fun, but later I rarely use the touch screen.

    The Mighty Mouse is better in almost all aspects - price, efficiency (moving fingers 2cm is faster than swinging a whole arm across the screen to press the 'x'), effortlessness (if you've used a tablet for any extended amount of time, you'll see what I mean - arms get VERY sore), and accuracy.

    I see it as an example for a change for the sake of change. There really is nothing wrong with the mouse. It has been there for decades and even now all computers still have one. That's because it's a terribly good design.

    Maybe tablets have its use for graphics designers and people that have to use a computer without a desk.

    But for when there is a desk, the mouse is vastly superior.

  13. #13
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    I don't agree, I get pain in my hand from mouse use. Doing things directly with our hands and arms is far more natural to our anatomy. The desktop metaphor with a mouse is already ~25 years old, IMO it will go the same way as the command line interface.

    Also, I think that a touch screen itself is useless unless, the interface is changed to make the most of it. I mean using a regular UI meant for mouse use, is not ideal.
    Last edited by Subsonics; 06-14-2010 at 01:52 PM.

  14. #14
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    3,229
    Have you tried a tablet?

    25 years old is not a reason for it to go away. If something has been here for this long, it's usually a very good design.

    We have been using forks for centuries.

  15. #15
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Posts
    1,485
    Sure, alot of information kiosks and so on use this type of interface. I'll repeat this though, the interface needs to change to accommodate that way of interaction. Copying an interface meant for mouse to a touch screen is bad. But, I don't have crystal ball anymore than you do, we'll see.

Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed

Similar Threads

  1. Open C/C++ Jobs for Top Developers
    By Susan N in forum Projects and Job Recruitment
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 06-04-2008, 08:56 PM
  2. The 7 New Wonders of the World
    By Mario F. in forum A Brief History of Cprogramming.com
    Replies: 36
    Last Post: 12-08-2006, 01:55 PM
  3. Obfuscated Code Contest: The Results
    By Stack Overflow in forum Contests Board
    Replies: 29
    Last Post: 02-18-2005, 05:39 PM
  4. Converting from Screen to World Coordinates
    By DavidP in forum Game Programming
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 05-11-2004, 12:51 PM
  5. Too much to ask ?
    By deflamol in forum C Programming
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 05-06-2004, 04:30 PM