Comments on: A story NOT about iBooks.app http://www.extinguishedscholar.com/wpglob/?p=628 Powered by work over time. Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:54:57 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: natevw http://www.extinguishedscholar.com/wpglob/?p=628&cpage=1#comment-12711 natevw Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:45:18 +0000 http://www.extinguishedscholar.com/wpglob/?p=628#comment-12711 I've wondered how practical an open source project (with benevolent tastemaker and taskmaster) aimed at replacing just the software half of the iPhone/iPad. Might actually be harder than starting from scratch, but could be interesting. The trouble I see is in the second sentence: lawyers. If an equally usable alternative were successful, it would have to be well endowed in the legal department to survive the ensuing wrath. Granted, it does seem that you'd need to be even more successful than Palm's WebOS or Google's Android to be worth the PR risks to Apple. I’ve wondered how practical an open source project (with benevolent tastemaker and taskmaster) aimed at replacing just the software half of the iPhone/iPad. Might actually be harder than starting from scratch, but could be interesting.

The trouble I see is in the second sentence: lawyers. If an equally usable alternative were successful, it would have to be well endowed in the legal department to survive the ensuing wrath. Granted, it does seem that you’d need to be even more successful than Palm’s WebOS or Google’s Android to be worth the PR risks to Apple.

]]> By: Jens Ayton http://www.extinguishedscholar.com/wpglob/?p=628&cpage=1#comment-12672 Jens Ayton Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:30:05 +0000 http://www.extinguishedscholar.com/wpglob/?p=628#comment-12672 The iPad depresses me, because it’s the first Apple thing in twenty years I’ve actively rejected as a consumer. (Rejecting the iPhone as a developer was a smaller matter.) With the App Store, Apple is pushing me away. If, as I suspect is the intention, the iPad comes to dominate Apple’s consumer computer offerings, it may push me as far as Linux. A couple of times, I’ve half-jokingly suggested a Cocotron OS. Linux people are fundamentally incapable of producing a good UI, the sort to look at the iPad and say it’s “just” a big iPod touch, like the Venus de Milo is “just” a lump of rock with bits chipped off. Microsoft is full of people who could, but the organization will always get in the way. A romantic part of me dreams that if Apple pisses of enough Mac developers, they/we could do it, but back here in real life… well, let’s see how Letters.app goes. Perhaps, in the grim future of Hello Kitty, there is only web. The iPad depresses me, because it’s the first Apple thing in twenty years I’ve actively rejected as a consumer. (Rejecting the iPhone as a developer was a smaller matter.) With the App Store, Apple is pushing me away. If, as I suspect is the intention, the iPad comes to dominate Apple’s consumer computer offerings, it may push me as far as Linux.

A couple of times, I’ve half-jokingly suggested a Cocotron OS. Linux people are fundamentally incapable of producing a good UI, the sort to look at the iPad and say it’s “just” a big iPod touch, like the Venus de Milo is “just” a lump of rock with bits chipped off. Microsoft is full of people who could, but the organization will always get in the way. A romantic part of me dreams that if Apple pisses of enough Mac developers, they/we could do it, but back here in real life… well, let’s see how Letters.app goes. Perhaps, in the grim future of Hello Kitty, there is only web.

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