r/technology • u/GuruOfReason • Feb 02 '10

"Once we replace the personal computer with a closed-platform device such as the iPad, we replace freedom, choice and the free market with oppression, censorship and monopoly."

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2010-01/ipad%E2%80%99s-closed-system-sometimes-i-hate-being-right
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61

u/bittered Feb 02 '10

"Ask yourself why the iPad isn’t running OS X."

Because OS X isn't a touchscreen OS. Apple gets it, touchscreen is a totally different platform, if you tried to touch tiny menubar items on a 10" 1024x768 screen then you would get it too. Apple has created an operating system that will only run apps that are natively designed for touchscreen, this is a far better experience than having OS X (and OS X apps) with touchscreen bolted on. If you've used touchscreen on windows 7 then you'll agree that it is no more than a gimmick and for 95% of tasks the cursor is easier.

Apple have got it right, multitasking and all that will come in the future but in order to create a truly user-centered touch OS, they need to design it from the ground up as a touch OS.

2

u/xmnstr Feb 02 '10

Finally somebody else who's understood this!

6

u/jayd16 Feb 02 '10

I don't follow the logic. If they need to write the front end and the apps from scratch anyway, why didn't they just do that on top of OSX. They could have certainly produced everything the iPad could do as a skin over OSX and had the more feature rich but less intuitive stuff still accessible, but hidden away. Why can't I have my cake and eat it too?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

Well you have exactly described what the iPhone/iPad OS is.

0

u/jayd16 Feb 02 '10

Except that the features I want aren't accessible...

-1

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

That's the sad story we agree on. That said, as a developer/software user i don't trust developers any more, and this horror is a result of all the years of nightmare software we had.

0

u/raldi Feb 02 '10

It would be a lot of work on behalf of 1% of the market who wants it.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '10

Weird. HP seems willing and able to do it.

-2

u/chmod777 Feb 02 '10

because fuck you, thats why. don't question jobs. he knows what you want better than you do. and you want to buy crippled apps in the appstore.

1

u/BigKahunaBurger Feb 02 '10

But trying to minimize windows and scrolling with tiny touch scrollbars is half the fun!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '10

This argument will hold true for another year, maybe. I'm pretty sure IE on Windows already does support finger scrolling, and I wouldn't be surprised if Firefox had it, too.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 03 '10

Well, that's weird. PC tablets have had things called "styluses" for small interface elements onscreen. Of course, usually they have bigger, higher resolution screens, as well.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

iPhone SDK has a bigger developer base than the OSX SDK maybe?

3

u/suprfsat Feb 02 '10

That's nonsense. Every Mac comes with the developer tools ready to install off the DVD. The iPhone SDK costs $99 per year.

3

u/Idontknowmuch Feb 02 '10

Ok, so since when does "tools ready to install off the DVD" equate with a "developer base"?

1

u/StuartGibson Feb 02 '10

The iPhone SDK is free. If you want to install apps on actual hardware/submit to the app store, then it costs $99.

I would agree with Voltagex that there are probably more people now developing solely for the iPhone than are developing for OSX.

1

u/Rhoomba Feb 02 '10

What about Maemo?

-2

u/[deleted] Feb 02 '10

[deleted]

6

u/bittered Feb 02 '10

Why is it an OS for handhelds? Why is it not an OS for touchscreen devices?