I strongly disagree. The ability to manipulate content is a very big issue, which is why a keyboard is so very important. IMNSHO, a keyboard is even more important than a pointing device, because it allows one to express in words.
The tablet paradigm (if I can use such high-falutin' words) is to transform the people into little more than passive consumers. Reading is fundamental (to coin a phrase), but computers are so very much more useful than mere output devices. Sure, as a simple adjunct to a PC a tablet has some uses, and at a cheap enough price I'll consider getting one, but it's a fundamentally crippled device. Kurt On Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 20:52, Jonathan Link <[email protected]> wrote: > Very well. iPhone thread. > > On point. Books are content. The ability to manipulate the content isn't the > issue. Being able to deliver it easily is. That being said I'm writing this > response lying flat on my back in bed because I wanted to check my mail > before turning in. Do all that on a PC under the same conditions and we can > talk. > > On Monday, August 22, 2011, Kurt Buff <[email protected]> wrote: >> The benefits and costs of distributing books electronically is not >> tied to the use of tablets. You can use a PC to read a PDF or other >> digital media just as well as on a tablet, and do much more besides, >> given the cost differential - once you take into account the >> peripherals needed to make the tablet as useful as a more traditional >> laptop or PC. The loss of a keyboard, IMHO, outweighs all of the >> supposed advantages. >> >> Kurt >> >> On Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 18:00, Jonathan Link <[email protected]> >> wrote: >>> You're still mostly wooshing here. >>> >>> Never did I say I bought into these concepts, but this is how it often >>> appears to the uninitiated into the arcane art of IT. I, of course, know >>> that mainframes didn't die, but most of the work of the "data processing" >>> department was subsumed in many organizations by business units closer to >>> the data, and this was accelerated by the adoption of the PC and PC >>> networks. >>> And have you measured that against the cost of textbooks? I know a lot >>> of >>> administrators are crunching these numbers right now... >>> >>> On Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 7:52 PM, Kurt Buff <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>> On Mon, Aug 22, 2011 at 13:21, Jonathan Link <[email protected]> >>>> wrote: >>>> > To put it another way, the data processing group got put out to >>>> > pasture >>>> > of >>>> > days gone by was blindsided by the PC revolution. >>>> >>>> Not really - they just morphed into the IT staff of today - server >>>> administrators. And, mainframes haven't disappeared - again, it's the >>>> minis that got squeezed. IBM still makes a buncha money on mainframes. >>>> >>>> > The current generation >>>> > of tablets are probably the most compelling piece of technology since >>>> > then. >>>> >>>> Perhaps. I've yet to be convinced. >>>> >>>> > Teachers and administrators are very interested in tablets because >>>> > they >>>> > believe they offer so much more capability for viewing and >>>> > distributing >>>> > content! >>>> >>>> The SJRDF is strong, 'tis true. I think the only advantage they show >>>> is weight, and a multi-touch screen. For viewing content, a larger >>>> screen gives better resolution, and for real distribution you still >>>> need the servers on the back end. The capabilities are still lacking, >>>> and the price is still too high. >>>> >>>> Kurt >>>> >>>> ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ >>>> ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ >>>> >>>> --- >>>> To manage subscriptions click here: >>>> http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ >>>> or send an email to [email protected] >>>> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin >>>> >>> >>> ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ >>> ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ >>> >>> --- >>> To manage subscriptions click here: >>> http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ >>> or send an email to [email protected] >>> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin >> >> ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ >> ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ >> >> --- >> To manage subscriptions click here: >> http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ >> or send an email to [email protected] >> with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin >> >> > > ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ > ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ > > --- > To manage subscriptions click here: > http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ > or send an email to [email protected] > with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
