An interesting article that should be of interest to all PalmOS
platform developers:
http://salon.com/tech/feature/2000/12/06/bad_computers/index.html
When was the last time your PC (or even Mac) froze, crashed, or
otherwise hiccupped? When was the last time (even here for
developers) that the Palm did the same?
It starts off (by someone who abhors guns) with a comparison between
an AK-47 and M16. The former was simple, inexpensive, easy to
manufacture, and reliable. The latter was innovative but complicated
and famous for jamming.
It isn't against any particular brand of hardware or software but the
author basically everything is bad and quotes people who basically say
"innovate first, fix later", and several horror stories.
My first thought was about Palm (PalmOS really) - and the fact I don't
know about PocketPC (or other) reliabiloity, but the manufacturer
doesn't have a good record. My second was about Linux (finding a bug
in the uptime counter somewhere well over 400 days). And the article
talks about the Auto industry before the oil crisis - an analogy I've
used before.
Well Palm *is* a pocket computer, but it isn't thought of as one. You
don't think about the microprocessor in your microwave oven, or in
your CD player - they just work and do what they are supposed to.
Another point the article makes is that most people don't go outside a
narrow comfort zone so 90% of those features aren't added. I have to
admit I haven't learned every Palm poweruser feature (I lookup phone
numbers by pulling up the address book). All this cluttering of the
programs that also hurt reliability.
The Palm platform is Simple. And effective. And inexpensive
(v.s. the Pocket PCs). Palm should keep it up and ignore the calls to
become a pocket desktop that can play DVDs in surround sound.
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