Posted on 05/07/2015 9:02:45 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
As sales of tablets and phones continue to outstrip demand for PCs, the technology industry is preparing for a shift in how people use computers.
In this transition, phones and tablets are expected to begin to be used as desktop PCs, a change that will force a fundamental redesign of software.
Instead of operating systems and applications having a single interface, apps will alter their look and controls to reflect how they are being used. For example, a UI that favours large, easily-tappable buttons on a touchscreen tablet might switch to tightly-packed icons when the tablet is used with a monitor and a mouse.
The idea was dubbed convergence by Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu operating system, when it launched the idea for a phone that would double as a PC in 2013.
The crowdfunding campaign for the Ubuntu Edge phone failed, but Canonical remains committed to transforming Ubuntu into an OS that adapts its interface according to its use.
Microsoft is promising a similar approach with Windows 10, taking time at its recent Build conference to detail how its forthcoming OS will offer a equally flexible UI.
Windows 10 will feature Continuum mode, which will detect when mobile devices are docked with a mouse and keyboard and reorient the UI to suit. The other major feature will be support for what Microsoft calls universal apps, applications that share their core code but that can switch their interface to be equally usable on desktops, phones, tablets and even augmented reality headsets.
With both Windows and Ubuntu being remodelled around convergence, how are both likely to fare as Microsoft and Canonical bid to be at the vanguard of the next wave of computing?
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
OS X.
I manage about 100 Ubuntu servers at my job, and they're fine, but that's not the desktop model, it's the server model. I've tried using their desktop, and Unity, and while it's different from Metro, it's not a lot better in terms of function, for my opinion.
I dunno, man, Linux is wonderful, I use it every day and love it most of the time, but it's not Everyman's OS and never will be as long as Windows and OS X are around.
RE: OS X.
Where is it being used to ran servers for data centers?
The problem with Ubuntu is using it with peripherals that require editing system files to get them to work.
I’d like to see Ubuntu for handhelds -— Phones, Tablets, etc.
The opportunity for religious war is strong with this one. :)
the one that is not SaaS (see thread above)
let’s see... an operating system already installed on billions of computers or an obscure-named unix clone that sounds like an African mating ceremony?
True... a problem, to one extent or another, with all Unix based operating systems.
If Ubuntu and other unix based systems could be a bit more ‘plug and play’ they might be able to compete with Windows.
Having said that, Unix is vastly superior to Windows from a technology perspective. That’s why OS X works so well.
Linux mint is a sweet OS
fastest one i have used
OS X itself isn’t running on servers in data centers (to my knowledge).... but the Unix kernel that is the heart of OS X is running on millions of servers in data centers and elsewhere.
Faster’n Xubuntu?
Here’s the problem with Ubuntu: getting technical support in case something goes wrong. At least with Windows, there is a huge cadre of support people at various levels that can help you. And Windows will have way more hardware support than Ubuntu, also.
Lol. They are talking about OSs that can run on any device, not an OS that is locked in to manufacturer-specific hardware. That is so 90s...
I really don’t understand the huge thing with phones and tablets. I use my phone as a phone, with minor traffic check/Rangers score updates. Minimal google searches as needed.
Tablets are toys. I see no actual use for them in the home environment, and little use for them in most work environments. There’s not much in between a laptop and a phone that can’t be filled by either. And by the time you kill your laptop specs to make a tablet, you essentially have an oversized phone.
Windows 8 attempted to bridge the software between laptops and phones. And what happened? People couldn’t power their computers off because the stupid Metro interface was extremely difficult to work with. I can understand having a core code that runs both, but there’s no reason to try to turn your phone into your desktop. Stupid.
But seriously, Windows 10 is going to be VERY successful. 100x more so than any distro of Linux.
Linux is a niche OS, I like it, but truth is, I used Windows far more often. Why? Because it works, and works well enough. And I am a tech/IT geek, the average person isn't even going to get a whiff of Linux.
Sigh. Yet another “death of the PC” article. Mini Coopers and Fiat 500s don’t eliminate the need for pickups and 18-wheelers, and slabs and watches and such won’t eliminate the need for PCs.
Yes, PC growth has leveled out as our dumbed-down society becomes a nation of information takers instead of information makers, but PCs will still be needed for commercial/business/industrial/government/military usage as well as for we few remaining information makers who will continue producing information for the masses to consume.
It will run on any device, because every device will be made by Apple.
You will be assimilated.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.