
iPad-only is the new desktop Linux - LaSombra
https://medium.com/@chipotlecoyote/ipad-only-is-the-new-desktop-linux-de88b61b6d99#.qqq1nzmnx
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benologist
I think Chrome OS is more likely since it's got a full desktop browser (aka
inspector etc) and it's getting Android apps. Surface-like hybrids running
Chrome OS with the Play Store will be $1xx+ next year, even without that their
sales are growing and younger generations are already using Chromebooks with
browser-based workflows in schools where the iPad ended up embarrassing
everyone involved.

The Android ecosystem puts the entire x86 ecosystem within reach including a
bunch of Windows apps through a commercial version of Wine that has already
been able to install the Windows version of Steam and games.

Underneath the hood it really is Linux and open source and accessible by
design. This time next year it will be a serious alternative to _Windows_ , in
addition to a much cheaper alternative to iPads. External GPUs and VR etc will
probably work with Chrome OS years before iOS has any reason to support them
as they have no software ecosystem around it.

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chipotle_coyote
My comparison between going iPad-only and using Linux on the desktop was more
about suggesting that both appeal to people who like to figure out how to do
things that may be a bit more complicated in their chosen environment than
they are in mainstream ones. (I'm aware desktop Linux is easier to use these
days, but it seemed to be a good analogy. I wasn't really intending it as a
slam against either Linux or iOS.)

So I think you're actually making a case for a somewhat different point. :)
But it's a very interesting comment. I haven't really been keeping track of
Chromebook development, but I know it's rapidly growing in school use, which
can be immensely valuable. The iPad can do very well in an educational
setting, but Apple so far hasn't been willing to make the compromises
necessary to keep it competitive with Chromebooks. (That's something they used
to take much more seriously than people might remember: there was actually an
"eMac" model only available to the education market for a while!)

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technofiend
Hey, interesting article. I can tell you I don't use Linux because I like a
challenge. I use it because I trust it and have control over what it does.
Don't like Ubuntu's sending searches to Amazon? Turn it off. Don't like
Chrome? Switch to Firefox. Don't want to apply security changes right now?
Click cancel. I use Linux because it's not Windows.

As a fellow Scrivener user trust me I was deeply saddened when Literature and
Latte dropped support for my favorite platform; I realize I'm in the minority
with this view about Linux and for that matter Android. Which is too bad
because Android addresses your other complaint about controlling which app
handles an action.

Android's Intents allow multiple apps to register their ability to handle
given user requests and unless the user explicitly chooses a default an app
chooser presents the user with the list of apps to satisfy the current
request. Want your PDF to go to a viewer this time and editor next time? No
problem.

This control is most obvious when you click the share option in any program -
you get a long list of other programs and delivery options. E-mail this time,
text the next, publish to instagram the one after that. It's one of the things
I like about Android most versus Apple's walled garden.

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johnwheeler
I have my own theories on why people want to make Linux / iOS their desktop.

People use Linux because they grew to hate Windows (and/or appreciate Linux)
when OS X wasn’t really an alternative. One factor in that might be that not
everyone can afford a Mac. Also, when I got into Linux, it gave me a sense of
pride, and I felt like I was part of the hacker culture (not black/white hat
hacking but Facebook / Eric S. Raymond hacking). I think that’s a motivation
too. It’s is (or was) _cool_ to use Linux at one point.

People go out of their ways to adapt to iOS because they like the idea of
running their lives on a small, svelte device. It makes them feel more
autonomous in ways desktops and phones can’t. The technology isn’t there yet
(as you mention).

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tomwilson
Haven't those "each file is a copy inside the app" issues been solved since
iOS9 with the document provider extension?

