On Nov 13, 2007 8:33 AM, Alan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Tue, November 13, 2007 12:37 am, Bob La Quey wrote: > > I find it interesting that no one responded to this message. > > mean while a long thread develops about C++ ... Yawn. > > > > Cell phones are boring.
Accepted. Different things bore different people. > I know that some people get excited about running hundred of little > applets and automatically uploading photos and who knows what else, but > for me, as long as when I want to make a call, I get a "dial tone", I > couldn't care less about the rest of the phone. I am excited by having a really small mobile computer that I will use for all kinds of things. Modern lap tops are getting there. These new "phones" will get even closer. Now I can do more and more of my work away from my "office." I like that. I like that a _lot_. > Personally, I'd rather the cell phone manufacturers stop cramming more > nonsense into the phones and concentrate on developing one where the radio > portion actually works. I predict that the "radio" will work better and better as the environment grows ever more pervasive. WiFi hotspots are becoming more common every day. I thoroughly expect the availability of bandwidth to grow, almost without bound, and the consequences are going to astound us all. In addition there will be local servers embedded in damn near everything. Think for a moment about computing in the early 60's when I got started in this game almost 50 years ago. Now look at what we have in a simple $200 computer. I see that the bandwidth game is in something about like the 60's, i.e. you ain't seen nothing yet. > Disclaimer: I don't own, nor regularly use, a cellphone, so I am likely > not the target audience for Google's latest advertising venture. Yep, you are _not_ the target. In the early 90's I helped to put together one of the very first Internet cafes in San Diego, the "Wikiup Cafe." We had three or four PC's and a couple of lines of dialup. A few adventuresome souls would come in and use the boxen for free. Now there are hundreds of wifi hotspots around town and _lots_ of people, more young than old, using laptops to entertain themselves and do real work. These people, not you, are Google's target. Take a look at youtube. Those people are Google's target. Maybe youtube bores you too. Me? I subscribe to several email lists devoted to boats. Youtube now makes regular appearances on those lists. For the first time the guys on the proa list can actually see dozens of proas sailing. Without any big ado they just have adapted the technology and started using it. Engineers are often conservative. Old engineers even more so. I find it a bit ironic that the very attitudes that make for a good engineer often also make for a late adapter. So it goes, BobLQ > -ajb > > > > > > -- > [email protected] > http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list > -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
