Is It Time To Call It Quits On The PC?

from the hanging-around dept

Mon, Apr 30th 2007 7:34pm — Joseph Weisenthal

With Vista having failed to ignite a boom in the computer industry, some analysts are starting to turn dour on the future of the PC. David Daoud, an analyst at IDC, thinks it's time for computer makers to rethink the traditional PC, and to work on developing more innovative products. He notes that the basic PC (with its big monitor and QWERTY keyboard) has basically been the same since its inception, and that things like ultra mobile PCs, tablets and other forms that have yet to be invented will come to play an important part role in the industry. Of course, people have been talking about all of these things before, and despite grandiose ambitions, nothing has made a dent in the market. The latest, the ultra mobile PC (UMPC) has pretty much been a dud, despite plenty of backing and hype. This isn't to say that manufacturers shouldn't be exploring alternatives, but as Apple has shown with its resurgent computer business, there's plenty of room for innovation and growth within the traditional confines of the PC.

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dorpus, 30 Apr 2007 @ 7:52pm

The Network Terminal
Yes, people in the 1990s talked about the "post-PC era", when the network would take care of computing and the PC would just be a dumb terminal. It sounded exactly like mainframe computing of the 1960s candy-wrapped in new buzzwords, Sun Computers bet heavily on it, and it basically destroyed their company.
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Steve, 30 Apr 2007 @ 7:54pm

Ingrained.
The PC has become so embedded in our culture and it's such an integral part of society that it's going to take more than just a revolutionary idea to get rid of it.
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Xanius, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:04pm

I'm not getting rid of it...
Until I can play games via neural implant.
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glitch, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:11pm

it will never go away
we have had cars for over 100 years now, and the basic components are the same and i think it will be the same with 'puters....and is that really so bad that we need a big change
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Susan, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:14pm

The rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated
The qwerty keyboard on my Smart Phone sucks. I end up using the stylus to tap the on-screen keyboard, which is so small that I keep hitting the wrong keys. As soon as someone designs a PDA with wireless internet, a useable keyboard and an eight-hour battery life, as well as the ability to use full versions of Microsoft Office, then sign me up. That's the other stupid thing. Microsoft Office Mobile edition won't read Word and Excel files that I've created on Office 2003. So what the hell is the point?
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beowuff, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:21pm

Re: I'm not getting rid of it...
Or better yet... Holo-Deck...
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Xenohacker@hotmail.com, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:24pm

Linux Anyone?
Maybe the next step is to make computer operating systems better. I got an idea what if we make this free OS that anyone can use for free. Then we give it to anyone who wants it. Then we try and get enough people to use it that no one has to pay for an OS anymore. Then it just becomes so boring that someone invents some virtual reality based goggle looking pc/mac thingy and someone makes a free version of that and well you see where I am going with this...
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old and cynical, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:25pm

As I get older...
The idea of trying to do serious work on the 1.4" display on a pocket communicator/terminal/pda/phone/info appliance with eyes as old as mine...Well, the idea is just bad, that's all. Neural implants?...heh-heh, I can't even hold on to the neurons I've got, thanks.
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Brian, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:28pm

Re: I'm not getting rid of it...
then it's not a game :P
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mac84, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:31pm

The concept of a box on a desk with a qwerty keyboard has been around a lot longer than the PC if you consider those old data terminals connected to a mainframe and the typwriter with a keyboard and a output port in the form of an 8x11 piece of paper.

we were going to use pens rather than a keyboard and mouse, but that turned out to be slower than typing. We were going to speak with our computers, like hal in 2001, but that too hasn't borne fruit. (ever use one of those speech attendants for telephone based customer service? Consider that a superior user interface?)

Lots of minor tweaks that turned out to be misses, like the ergonomic keyboard, the pen pad, the trackball. Except, of couse, the GUI and the mouse, which are really a refinement since they coexist well with the keyboard and paper.

Turns out after a century of refinement, no one has come up with a better user interface than the keyboard as an input device and the sheet of paper (or its electronic analogue) as an output.

I have a feeling will see additional refinements of the same interface, (a sheet of paper in a holographic image, a virtual qwerty keyboard that you poke in thin air), before there is a fundamental shift from these basic elements we use to interact with the computers we use to create, transmit, and store information.
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Xanius, 30 Apr 2007 @ 8:59pm

Re: Re: I'm not getting rid of it...
Off topic but I think that the anti-obesity and outdoor advocates need to change their attack plan. If they want people to go outside they need to hype the good things, like realistic physics and stunning graphics and color quality, as well as a unique fatigue system.

Though if they did that they would have to make sure they mention that there are no respawns.
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linuxamp, 30 Apr 2007 @ 9:27pm

I'd say it's not time to call it quits on the PC until the "...other forms that have yet to be invented" actually get invented.
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Charlie W, 30 Apr 2007 @ 9:34pm

Give up on PCs YES!
The Vista Experience is a lousy copy of the Mac OSX with rules that only a Sysadmin might love as it rings job security to PC Techs with its ever increasing complexity and its thirst for evermore expensive hardware to run it! The only people making out are PC manufacturers and the people who make the boards etc that go inside to upgrade the PC!
I checked all the different PCs and laptops under my care at work and he only computer that the Ms Vista adviser liked was my Macbook Pro. The adviser said I could run the Ultimate edition which even the newest PC hardware in the building could not run without extensive modification! Those Apple Commercials are right On! (So was the Frenchman at Mac world! I never laughed so hard in my life) Oh, Uncle Bill, IT guys don't care about X-BOX 360 and Vista. IT departments would never support toys for the users at work, then nothing would get done at work. And the automatic software phone home to be re-activated every 180 days so without a server to manage this your office could find itself shutting down PC by PC. We won't live without the additional cost of a EULA management Server. (EULAMGR 2007 Enterprise Server, a marketing follow up product way to go marketing Guys)
When I install Apple servers running OS-X Server I don't need 30 million tools to deploy it to end users running Macs, they just work! That is what computers are for! THEY work for US! not the other way around! make them easier to use and more intuitive for the users, not this heavily layered with useless features that make it harder to run and maintain with manuals only a marketing guy could love (you too Uncle Bill!) Otherwise like the house of wax when Vincent Price's face mask was broken revealing the monster within. The Vista still is full of all the DOS underworld (DLL files, config files, etc) plus some new ones we need to go to school for to figure out their importance. Guys let's simplify for a change! OK?
I'm glad to get off this soapbox!
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disgusting, 30 Apr 2007 @ 9:54pm

gah
"I'm glad to get off this soapbox!"

Thank god for that.
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BlackCow, 30 Apr 2007 @ 10:47pm

Um... no
"He notes that the basic PC (with its big monitor and QWERTY keyboard) has basically been the same since its inception"

lol, that is defiantly not MY computer. But then I built mine to look sexy. The problem is your avrage joe and janes computer. My mom bought a computer from HP, it came LOADED with bullshit "Free trials" and "OMG AOL", they gave her a cheap ass ball tracking mouse and a cheap keyboard. They problem is computer companys are cheeping out on people who don't know any better.
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Jacob Buck, 30 Apr 2007 @ 10:55pm

Re: Re: Re: I'm not getting rid of it...
"boom! headshot!" - FPS Doug
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t42, 30 Apr 2007 @ 11:14pm

Re: Give up on PCs YES!
Charlie W, thank you for your comment.
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boomhauer, 30 Apr 2007 @ 11:24pm

still all comes to input, and despite cool gizmos with handwriting and even the occasional speach input, nothing can whoop the keyboard yet. it sucks in many ways and yet i sit here typing rather rapidly using it.. faster than i can even talk.
its even been adapted to email-enabled phones/pda's nowdays - it took a mini qwerty to make them catch on.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Apr 2007 @ 11:43pm

It's not the PC that's dead.

It's Windows.
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67Comet, 30 Apr 2007 @ 11:50pm

QWERTY?!
I don't know if any one on here is old enough, but the TYPEWRITER from WAY back was QWERTY!
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norman619, 1 May 2007 @ 12:14am

If it's not broken...
I love this. They are talking about the PC more like an article of clothing than a piece of indispencable technology. And here I thought this was going to be a serious tech news article. LOL!!!
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MEH, 1 May 2007 @ 1:09am

...
Type enugh???
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Da_ALC, 1 May 2007 @ 1:37am

Uuuuh
Knives and forkes are so outdated.. isnt it about time we replaced them with something more modern?.....

...NO! Dont ask stupid questions.
Vista is doing better than XP.. its not going to be widelly adopted till people actually want new PC's, and with all the new tech coming out for Vista people are, of course and obviously, gonna wait!
I didnt bother with XP till SP2 and stuck with 2K just cos I could play more of my older games that way at the time... kept a 98 - 2k dual boot for ages. My point is we adopt as needed not as told. (Who actually owns an electronic auto-twisting pasta fork? I seen em!).
As for Apple.. Oh my gosh! They totally sold out.. nothing but PC parts in their boxes now.. dont even have to have the apple processor. The only Apple things about an apple are, a) the case, b) the (lame) mouse, c) the operating system. Get it in your heads.. Apple = PC = Apple = PC = Apple.
I could be ademant that a dyson is not a vaccuum cleaner but a revolution.. that would make me a dork a nerd and blatantly an idiot.
And having a go at QWERTY!? People come up with totally new keyboard layouts and input devices ALL THE TIME.. and release them into the market, where they fail! Cos we teach QWERTY in SCHOOLS. As fun as chopsticks seem, I was TAUGHT ("hold them the other way round, elbows of the table, stop humming, eat with your mouth closed, no hold them like this..") to use the knive and fork!

Dont ask stupid questions!!
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Paul, 1 May 2007 @ 2:35am

Re: Give up on PCs YES!
Yes, lets all get mac because it is SO much better.

We all know if anything will nudge Windows out of dominance it will be Linux. Free, easy to use, great support from people who have a fucking clue and its free. Did i mention its free?
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PopeRatzo, 1 May 2007 @ 3:35am

The failure of Vista is not an indication of the end of the PC, but rather that it is time for a well-financed, commercial competitor to Microsoft and Apple.

MS & Apple are not providing what many customers want: a high-performance operating system that runs programs - period. I don't need DRM or eye-candy.

I'm sorry Mac fan-bois, but until I can run OSX on a machine that I build, OSX will not be the solution, either. I've looked inside an iMac, and I can build a more suitable machine to my purposes, a lot less expensive than a Mac Pro.
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Krum, 1 May 2007 @ 3:42am

Different Interface
A recent Tech-Dirt article pointed out that the technology for the iPhone wasn't really as new as Apple stated. There was a link to a video from ted.com showing a multi-touch interface which I found interesting that it did away with the mouse but was still a standard GUI...but using your hands with a huge touch screen and demonstrated many possibilities with conforming your PC interface to you personally instead of vice versa. There was still the keyboard interface but they demonstrated the advantages of changing the size of the keyboard as well as the keyboard flowing with the movement of your fingers. Although this isn't "reinventing" the PC, I for one am all for a user interface as flexible as this one regardless of OS. Ted Talks Video with Jeff Han
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ton80, 1 May 2007 @ 3:58am

Re:
Agreed.
Don't kill the system because the OS is weak....step on up to Linux!
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pastco, 1 May 2007 @ 3:58am

HP grew almost as much as apple last quarter and it is a far larger company selling as many laptops in a month as apple does in a year. The lack of growth of vista is a red herring - win 95 is the only ms os that ever really spurred growth. Do a search for early xp sales and you'll see that windows 98 was still outselling it months after release and people were complaining that no wanted xp. Sounds pretty familiar only people are too stupid to listen.
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Vistauser, 1 May 2007 @ 4:31am

Vista is not dead
I dont know where any of you are getting vista is dead! Where was this said at? I have a laptop that runs premium and a desktop that runs business x64 and yes there is compatibility problems every once and a while, but as other people have stated Xp had the same problem and it was that good till service pack 2. Vista is a very good OS and has many options and a very nice look. People complain about compatibility with vista and yet suggest a Mac! Good luck shopping at Wal-Mart and getting any games or software for it. The only people that say vista is bad and not to get it is the people who read forums and articles about it but have never used it, would you take the advice of a movie critic if he did watch the movie? No, so Don't knock it till you own it!
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Sanguine Dream, 1 May 2007 @ 5:47am

I'm in the wrong line of work...
I need to become an analyst. All they do is sit around and predict the end of some common device or the the coming of ___ 2.0.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 May 2007 @ 5:49am

"but as Apple has shown with its resurgent computer business, there's plenty of room for innovation and growth within the traditional confines of the PC"

So wait...an IMAC isn't like a traditional PC with its QWERTY keyboard and monitor? Way to kick Apple's a$$ techdirt.
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Bryan Price, 1 May 2007 @ 6:10am

There is a reason why the PC hasn't changed
And that's because it's obviously been extremely successful. Hell, Apple, with less than 10% (5%?) market penetration is considered wildly successful, and it hasn't been remotely comparable until recently.

And from what I saw yesterday, tablet PCs do seem to be taking off, at least in one niche application. Marketing to medical doctors. I had to take the wife and the daughter to an appointment, and while I waited, one salesman was already waiting and 4 more salespeople came through the door before we left. Of course to some, tablet PCs are something new. I did some rudimentary development on one 17 years ago. What should be able to happen now with todays hardware and more importantly, communication should be just kick ass.

I've gone through (thinking...) 10 different computer builds in almost 20 years (those are my computers, not work computers that I used). I've gone through that many cars in 30 years, and cars wear out a lot more than computers do (and I bought used not new). My latest system compared to my first system? I don't want to go there.

Hell, we are still waiting for the software to catch up to the hardware at this point.

I'd love to have a UMPC myself, but the technology still isn't quite there yet (battery time being the biggest hurdle, along with screen size).
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Anonymous Coward, 1 May 2007 @ 6:11am

Re: Re: Give up on PCs YES! - LINUX
I have tried many free Linux distro's... yes.. they are pretty cool and you can't beat free. However, none of them have been so easy to use that I could just install it on my dad's computer and watch him run with it. All the programs he depends on being there are windows based and there is no way I could ever get someone like him (which I have observed most novice computer users to be of the same opinion as him) to change to something totally different, just because a whole slew of techies think it's better. Most people would rather pay for software that they know how to use than try to learn a whole new OS. I am sure a bunch of younger folks will reply to this telling me how dumb I am, but hey... that's my opinion.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 May 2007 @ 6:13am

"Way to kick Apple's a$$ techdirt."

I meant KISS apple's a$$ :-)
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jb, 1 May 2007 @ 6:35am

You can run MacOSX..
On a PC you build, you just need the right parts. Guess what they are the high end parts. The problem is most people believe that only Apple gear can run OSX, and believe all that marketing BS. It is even easier now with the intel version. You just have to know how!!!
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Doug, 1 May 2007 @ 6:36am

Dad proof Linux GUI ..
'I have tried many free Linux distro's .. However, none of them have been so easy to use that I could just install it on my dad's computer and watch him run with it'

I have the exact opposite experience, a dual boot Windows/SuSE box. People use Firefox and OpenOffice and go 'it looks just the same as Windows'.

There are a number of Windows lookalike GUIs out there. Xandros or Linux XP. You get a browser, emailer, wordprocessor, multimedia player and DVD burner. The average Windows users don't know the difference. What your dad don't get is a ton of spam in his inbox or some crook emptying his online bank account.

http://www.xandros.com http://linux-xp.com/
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vistauser, 1 May 2007 @ 7:12am

Re: You can run MacOSX..
But why would you want to? If your going to do that just use windows at least you can run any program you want.
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vistauser, 1 May 2007 @ 7:14am

Re: Dad proof Linux GUI ..
I don't get it, all of you Linux users don't like windows yet you keep looking for Linux versions that copy how xp looks and runs, whats up with that?
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-james, 1 May 2007 @ 7:46am

I think we're all wiser
Sorry Microsoft,

2 points:

I've done bleeding edge one too many times to bite on your new OS. I think it is only common sense to wait until Service Pack 2 comes out, before upgrading.

AND:

What performance gain can I expect moving to Vista? I think the 32 bit market is capped for significant gains in performance.

BOTTOM LINE: Vista = more bloat. We'll need more processing power to keep our systems as responsive as they already aren't. I'm looking at 64 bit systems with 8 gigs of ram or more for my next move - All that power to run a web browser!

What am I thinking????
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Chris G, 1 May 2007 @ 7:48am

Re: Linux Anyone?
You're an idiot. Enough said.
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Chris G, 1 May 2007 @ 7:50am

Re: Dad proof Linux GUI ..
Doug, you're about as stupid as a rock, except the rock has more common sense to shut the fuck up. Linux doesn't prevent anyone from getting SPAM.
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Wyatt, 1 May 2007 @ 8:01am

Humm
Isn’t the biggest issue in regards to Linux and Mac the compatibility? I'm a gamer and I don't know of any (that I play) that will work on either a Mac or a Linux distro. I may be slightly wrong in that some may work, but not all. The major game makers seem to stay away from Mac or Linux. Regardless of all this BS. The PC is a tool, not some creative piece of art. The reason the PC has been the same for so long is because it works. To repeat a saying that has been over said, sorry. "If it isn’t broke don’t fix it". Let’s innovate sure, but innovate in the software we use. Forget about the look of the PC, or the keyboard. Make the software more usable and intuitive.
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SailorRipley, 1 May 2007 @ 8:07am

Re: Re: Re: Give up on PCs YES! - LINUX
All the programs he depends on being there are windows based and there is no way I could ever get someone like him (which I have observed most novice computer users to be of the same opinion as him)

I'm sorry, but that sounds like a lot of bull.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that somebody used to working with Adobe Photoshop, who now has to figure out a totally different linux-based program or set of programs to do the same things would most likely prefer to pay for Photoshop and continue using Windows, versus the effort of figuring out how to do it using linux.

However, the most "dads/moms" or "novice computer users" do not use any (or a lot of) complicated windows-based software.

In fact, a lot of dads, moms and novice computer users do little (if anything) more than:

- surf the internet
- read and send emails
- chat
- write a letter(, make a spreadsheet,...)
- listen to music/watch video

You can't honestly be saying, that if you would install for example Ubuntu, give them Firefox, Thunderbird, whatever linux version of the corresponding IM program, OpenOffice and a media player, that they would be lost...
or even have temporary transition problems, because if they do, I wonder how they managed to get familiar with the windows-based equivalents in the first place.
Because for all the linux alternatives I mentioned for the above programs, the look and feel is extremely similar to the windows programs...(not to mention that most programs I've mentioned also run on Windows).
I had no problem using OpenOffice equally efficient from the moment I installed it, which had absolutely nothing to do with my age or technical proficiency/adaptability, but with the Open Office interface being quite similar to the MS Office one.

(side note: I must limit my claim: I have only used the writer, so I can only comment on the similarity to Word, I can't say anything about spreadsheets and can't be bothered to check it right now, mainly because a whole lot less of those novice users and moms and dads would be using Excel compared to Word anyway)

Anyway, my point is: what you say can be true, for people who do use complex, Windows-based software that have no similar alternative in Linux. However, the number of "moms/dads" and novice computer users is quite limited, or I should say, much lower than the number of those users that just use their computer for "basic" things as I listed above, and those users would have no problem switching to Linux, because very little would look or be different for them
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SailorRipley, 1 May 2007 @ 8:31am

Re: Vista is not dead
My stepdaughter has Vista on her notebook, for a few months now and since she's a basic user, any questions/issues she has, she calls/asks me. So even though I don't own it, can I knock it?

(btw, only knocking it after you own it is a little stupid don't you think? You've already bought it so you're stuck with it...unless shops/MS suddenly have a 30 money back guarantee...I didn't think so)

So here goes: I don't like Vista, and I will never install it on any computer in my house (to be able to uphold that, I have been experimenting with linux distro's, not for me, I already have a tripple boot on my computer, but to check what would be most user friendly for my wife and other step daughter on their computers).

I'd also like to make a comment about (imo) bs arguments like: "Xp had the same problem and it wasn't that good till service pack 2": yeah, you're really making a strong pro MS OS case there...
1) there's no guarantee that Vista will have stepped up by the time service pack 2 is around, just because that was the case with XP, doesn't guarantee anything...it could be faster, it could be slower, it could be not at all...we have no way of knowing.
2) even if it would be guaranteed...how can anybody defend an OS that takes several years to develop before it's released in the first place, and then turns out to be not so great and we have to wait (again) several years before it becomes "that good"...?

I mean, seriously...would you buy a car that starts off with a max speed of 40 mph for the first couple of years, but after a couple of years, the car will have been worked in and finetuned so the max speed will then be 65....?
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Anonymous Coward, 1 May 2007 @ 8:39am

Re: Re: Dad proof Linux GUI ..
I doubt any of the "hardcore" linux users have a windows desktop look, but they're looking for one for all those "novice" computer users...so they could lure those to the other side, with a linux that looks exactly like windows, the change/adaptation for those (new) users would be minimal/non existent...that's why :-)
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Heinosity, 1 May 2007 @ 8:41am

Re: Ingrained.
Yeah well i'm sure they said that about the horse and buggy in the 19th century.
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Joe Smith, 1 May 2007 @ 8:46am

Saturation
There are three problems with computer sales:
1. Vista is a frustrating PoS;
2. Everyone who needs a computer already has one, its not going to wear out anytime soon and there is no compelling reason to upgrade any computer running a pentium 4 and Windows XP except for teenage boys wanting to run the latest games.
3. Higher end home computers are competing with game systems for a place in the home and the game systems are winning.
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Doug, 1 May 2007 @ 9:10am

Re: Re: Dad proof Linux GUI ..
'I don't get it, all of you Linux users don't like windows yet you keep looking for Linux versions that copy how xp looks and runs, whats up with that?', vistauser

I don't want one but Anonymous Cowards Dad does. I prefer the Mac lookalike Xfce desktop myself.
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Rory Kiefer, 1 May 2007 @ 9:10am

this makes me SICK!
This article is TRASH! This is totally skewed towards a marketing perspective. The fact that the pc MARKET has slumped does NOT mean anything like the PC industry is dying or that PC's themselves are static. It just means sales trends aren't what they were at the one point that this person is aware of.

FURTHERMORE

- Vista has not already wholly failed at ALL. Vista's going through the same crap XP went through at its inception.
- Tablet PCs and mobile computing are OLD IDEAS
- Apple has never *ONCE* innovated *anything.* In their long history, they've always taken an idea and ran with it, or pioneered something that was just forgotten and become moot. Apple is HARDLY INNOVATIVE AT ALL -- they just have fashionable commercials that somehow make them able to support the ridiculous markup they place on their products.

How much more WRONG can this one article be?!
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Doug, 1 May 2007 @ 9:13am

Re: Re: Dad proof Linux GUI ..
'Linux doesn't prevent anyone from getting SPAM'

But it does prevent you from clicking on a URL or opening an attachment and your computer getting hijacked and spamming everyone in your address book. That and a keylogger being installed and your online bank account being emptied by Boris in Russia.
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Kring, 1 May 2007 @ 9:59am

Future
To really be productive at work I need BIGGER, not smaller. Give me a really high resolution desk, like an architects desk which I can move windows around like it's sheets of paper on my desk. That's much more productive then giving me an ultra portable or using the crappy ipaq I have.

The key to the future is basically what I'm seeing with my new car (2007 G35) it's giving you X number of ways to accomplish a task, then let someones personal style or habbits drive how they work. for instance, in the car to change radio stations I can use the following:

1.) Radio knob
2.) Touch screen
3.) Voice command
4.) Steering wheel
5.) Media wheel

I've found that I don't use just 1 method, I use what's easiest, which is a mix of all 5 methods.

The PC will always be around in one form or another, but I don't think we're going to see such a fantastic invention that everyone ceases to buy a traditional PC.

Wacom has that tablet that has an LCD screen in it, that's pretty cool, it's like a tablet screen, however it's much more precise and has an erasing pencil and senses levels of pressure. Fantiastic for graphics and note taking.

Microsofts OneNote is a great addition to this tablet style.

But nothing beats a good old mouse. I will say that the new mice from Logitech i.e. G7 are fantastic, erganomical and precises and are rechargeable.
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Buzz, 1 May 2007 @ 11:03am

Why do we need Vista again?
Windows Vista solves nothing for me. Heck, even Windows XP didn't really solve anything. I ran Windows 2000 just fine up until last year, and the only reason I upgraded to XP was I received the upgrade for free. My software was all 2000-compatible. The only thing that was incompatible with 2000 was Windows Live Messenger (which I don't even like; I was just playing around for a second). All my Google software and other free stuff ran fine. I was able to continue being a developer using various powerful development tools.

I am now a loyal Ubuntu user. My system runs so much faster/smoother than it did before. The OS is not constantly looking for something to do; it only runs what I tell it to. I have no blue screens of death. I have access to a free copy of Windows Vista through my university, but I will never touch it. I already use Vista more than I want to; I can already attest to the fact that anyone that says "I've never had any problems with it" is NOT a power user. I'm sure Windows Vista runs just fine when browsing the Internet and creating documents/spreadsheets... why do we need Vista again? Anyway, as a software developer, Linux best adheres to my needs, and it's NOT that hard to learn.

As for the article, I'm perfectly happy with the keyboard and mouse. Sure, I want clever minds out there to slowly conjure up possible new interfaces, but I won't be too disappointed if they fail.
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Allen Franklin, 1 May 2007 @ 11:22am

I use 2000, XP and Vista..
On 3 boxes at home. 2000 on a 384 meg RAM Pentium 3. XP on a 768 meg RAM Pentium 4. Vista Premium on a 2 gig RAM dual core laptop.

And you know what - I like Vista (bought new, not upgraded) and in my opinion it is the most intuitive OS of the 3. Its just that if you know 2000/XP - you need to 'unlearn' some stuff.

Yes, the hardware reqs for Vista are steep. But I, for one, am satisfied so far....
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Anonymous, 1 May 2007 @ 12:05pm

OMG! The Sky Is Falling! (Part 57...)
I see that another 6 months are up, so it's time to drag out that old conversation-starter amongst the tech geeks that the PC is dying for [fill in the reason here].

Really.

I can remember back when people were making this lame prediction in the MID 80'S! That means that this prediction is over 20 YEARS OLD!

I can't even keep track of all the reasons why the PC should be dead & buried already. Let me try to remember all of the "credible" arguments...

Apple computers in the classroom means that kids will grow up so accustomed to Apple computers that they will want nothing else when they get older.

Computers are too expensive.

Computers are too specific-oriented to appeal to the general masses.

Computers are too generic to appeal to specialized fields.

Computers are becoming more powerful too quickly & everyone will wait until they "level off" before getting one.

Too many viruses out there (And this was pre-Internet).

Computers are becoming so complicated that only tech geeks will even bother with them.

Arcades will make PCs obsolete.

Consoles will make PCs obsolete.

Networks will make PCs obsolete.

The Internets (all of 'em) will make PCs obsolete.

Because workplaces have computers now, no one will want a computer for their own & simply use their workplace computer for all of their needs.

Microsoft is an uncontrollable monopoly & their monopolization of the PC platform will forever doom it.

There are many others but I'll just stop it here.

In short, I've heard this prediction before. I've laughed at this prediction before. Odds are, in 2008, someone will come up with a new argument. In 2058, someone will come up with a new argument. They will both be wrong.

Stop the fear-mongering & get on with your life.
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Star No Star, 1 May 2007 @ 12:07pm

first of all, i own a "high-performance operating system that runs programs". i use a mac pro and i have never been happier with it, and i dont consider myself a snob when it comes to operating systems either. every OS has their upsides and downsides, some are the result of the manufacturer and innovation and some are the result of cognitive biases.

for example, windows has the upside of running more apps that work on any other operating system, but this is only due to the fuctional fixidness that people have on their windows machines, when it boils down to it people would rather use what they know how to use instead of learning something new, you only consider windows the best because it all you know how to use well.

i have windows, mandriva linux, and ubuntu linux running on my mac pro through boot camp AND Parallels...heck, i even merged the OS's from both programs so i can run them in EITHER boot camp or parallels without having four operating systems (2 duplicates).

linux has the upside of being free, you can also do anything you want to do with the operating system IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING, most people dont even know how to install ANY OS let alone linux. but, this only causes it to have a cult following, meaning that less applications will be designed for it due to the smaller amount of users.

Mac has the upside of being extremley user friendly and simple, the gui is scripted in java, an extremley secure script developed by sun microsystems (their solaris was scripeted in java in its entirity) and the core operating system is scripted in UNIX, and frankley anyone who bashes unix is a fool.

"I'm sorry Mac fan-bois, but until I can run OSX on a machine that I build, OSX will not be the solution"

if you could run os x on any machine you build it would just cause it to have more of the incompatibilities on windows based machines. think about this, on mac the os is designed to run with very specific hardware, they pick a small group of each piece of hardware and make absolutley excelent drivers for it, and in some cases make their own hardware (airport extreme), with windows and linux there is an uncountable number of "compatible" pieces of hardware, would you rather have 100,000 people lets say work on 1000 drivers or all of those 100,000 people work on 3 drivers (the number of compatible graphics cards for mac pros), this leads to macs having drivers that actually work without hassles.

next, EFI or Extensible Firmware Interface. with a bios you need to tell tell the computer how to use the piece of hardware you have just installed, with EFI the software to tell the computer how to handle that piece of hardware comes in the firmware of the piece of hardware, wanna install that new graphics card....great, pop it in and it works, with nothing to install.

and finally, the gaming aspect of the mac pro (this is specific to this hardware, anyone who expects to run games extremley well knows this is the best machine for it), lets just say that under boot camp with all of the proper drivers installed, this machine EATS any game i trow at it, with everything turned all the way up i get maxed fps on just about any game (1680x1050)...(BTW i have Radeon X1900XT).

so i may have spent 4 grand on my computer but it has the best of everything:

1 - this machine is FAST, i can run wow in os x AND every other app on the computer and only max all four processors out at 68% with a stable CPU temp of 108 degrees F.

2 - UNIX, if you know what you are doing you can do ANYTHING in unix, VERY secure, os x is a nice addons for unix and the reason i say this is because you can boot into the command line or run it from os x.

3 - runs any os i want it to
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Neal, 1 May 2007 @ 12:33pm

lol...think away David. I mean PCs cater to a broad range of needs from multimedia, gaming, information etc... Innovative? Please! What, is he expecting PCs to eventually bring you a cup of coffee in the morning and make you breakfast?
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Daniel Bader, 1 May 2007 @ 4:09pm

Why change a good thing?
Hey the great white shark hasn't had to evolve in millions of years{why change a good thing, that's been working so well}Why does it have to always get to the Apple vs MS argument can't we agree that they both have their good and bad points and leave it at that? As someone else said computers are so ingrained in our lives they will be here for many years to come{both Apple&MS}and there will be room for both!
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His Shadow, 1 May 2007 @ 5:21pm

Don't Knock It Til You Own It?
Okay. I own Vista, and it sucks. It barely runs on 18 month old hardware until it got a 2 Gig memory boost. It changes absolutely everything that was standard on WindowsXP/Win2K. Most "control panels" are no longer such: they are links to mini-Explorer windows crammed with cryptically named settings to every possible permutation of the operation you wished to perform.

It's a pretty theme that eats hardware, hogs resources and changes every Windows standard interface option for the sake of pretending that your computer is actually running the internet. Why the fvck else would every control panel become an Explorer window?

In a word, it's shit. The UAC "security" option is EXACTLY as described by the Apple "Security" commercial. Network options are a pointless flowchart of everything connected to your system except any other Windows computer not running Vista. The amount of clicking and pointing required to navigate the system has more than doubled, and you have to relearn even the most basic of options because, again, everything in pointlessly renamed and regrouped to provide maximum aggravation.

People aren't rethinking the PC. They are rethinking Microsoft. It's just so sad that so many are only now realising that MS' OS monoculture has sold them a bill of goods.
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|333173|3|_||3, 2 May 2007 @ 2:28am

Lets get Back on topic
I will not abandon the classic desktop until I can get an equivalent laptop for the same price, and be able to upgrade it myself, with parts that i can get as easily as notrmal desktop parts. While I am posting this from a laptop, this is nnot the machine I use for gaming, and I have no intnetion of using a laptop for games, ever, unless I happen to get one dirt cheap. the heat/reduced grunt, and so forth. OTOH, If I were building a beast abd a I had the parts, I would include a laptop battery as backup for the mains power, since I often suffer power cuts.

For Home use, a thin client is hardly worhtwhile, since in home situation susually only one or two computers are in use at any given time, and often some of the computers are work-supplied laptops. Also, in home settings, ordingary thick clients can be cascaded for a long time after thay are obsolete, from the main computer, to a kids machine, to a server, to a web proxy, and so on until it has no use except as a source of power supplies and other odd parts. A thin client/dumb terminal relies on teh speed of the central server, which needs to be kept reasonably up-to-date.

While I would like to see new input devices, I would only consider getting one if it offers me a faster, easier way ot enter data, and does not cost too much, otherwise it can stay in the shops or the mind of the inventor.
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Sidd Vicious, 2 May 2007 @ 12:47pm

Re: The rumors of my death were greatly exaggerate
www.oqo.com does all that, just too pricey for most people. :[
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Bob, 2 May 2007 @ 1:00pm

Is It Time To Call It Quits On The PC?
Calculator keyboards and forma are pretty much the same since their beginning, probably because it works and is convenient. Just because they haven't changed is not a very good reason to get rid of them
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