Freemor, this is great and excellent to see your post. What would you make to get the most people to help with BNN?
Jon On Mon, Sep 5, 2011 at 8:44 PM, Freemor <[email protected]> wrote: > On Mon, Sep 05, 2011 at 07:25:27AM -0300, Werner Almesberger wrote: >> [email protected] wrote: >> > Hi, I want to remove everything off the nanonote but the subsystem and >> > have the highest performing ability to run html5 , meaning >> > html5+css+js. >> >> Hmm, I wonder if this would really lead in a good direction. >> [snip] > > As an add on to Werner's great analysis I'd like to add that I think > this would be exactly the wrong direction to go. With only 32MB or ram > and (generally) no swap the last thing we want to do is encourage people > to try to develop apps that require a large browser to be running just to > launch the app. I already need to enable swap to keep the text based browser > from segfaulting when I try to search an HTML e-book. > > I think a better way to encourage development would be to have a good IDE > and good Documentation. A prepackaged Nanonote emulator wouldn't hurt either > as then any prospective developer could play around and get their feet wet > without having buy a Nanonote (of course we really want them to buy one at > some point). > > There are already several good options for developing on the Nanonote. Several > of which are cross-platform and thus ease development. > > Now just for clarity I will point out that I have a bias against the > browser-as-platform model. I'm an assembly language programer from back in the > 80s. I see C as producing bloated and messy code so you can imagine what I > must > think about loading in an entire browser to run an app that would run faster > if > written in a "real" language. I understand rapid development, and the > potential > (but false) appeal of browser based apps working everywhere. But with my bias > it > seem a miserably bad fit for the constrained environment that is that > NanoNote. > > The last thing we want to do to the Nanonote is have what the G1G1 program > did to > the XO. I got one through this program and love it dearly. It's a fantastic > bit of > kit. However many, many people getting one failed to understand that the XO > was a > purpose built computer and that purpose was not to handle modern web apps. > The support > forums were quickly filled with people bemoaning the fact that the XO > couldn't do FLASH, > wouldn't work on site X, couldn't run program Y, and thus in their minds > "wasn't a real > computer" and was "worthless". > > Their assesment is far from the truth but the disappointed expectations > harmed the public > image of the XO and resulted in a huge drop in interest and support in the > general public. > > I'd hate to see this happen to the NanoNote wich is not only a great bit of > kit but is > entirely copyleft. I think any attempt to attract developers or public > interest should > focus clearly on what the NanoNote is. Small, inexpensive, Copyleft, open, > etc. and > avoid the urge to try and make the Nanonote go places it'll perform badly. > The NanoNote > is poorly suited for life as a web based platform. It is however VERY good at > being what > it is. A computer that fits in the palm of your hand and is totally copyleft. > Part of the > problem is that people nowadays equate "computer" with "internet appliance" > and are > dissapointed by anything that isn't what they expect. > > The NanoNote need to be promoted to people that will see it's potential. And > from where I'm > sitting it has tonnes of potential (but remember my first "real computer" ran > a 1mhz and > had 4k of ram). Who these people would be is an open question. Computer > scientists, engineers, > people working on/with embedded devices. etc. Basically the people that will > look at the > NanoNote and go "Wow, a Coputer that fits in my palm and is fully open and > hackable.. man I > need one of those.." (well ok.. "I need 250 of those for my company" would be > better). > > This is truning into a much larger post then I intended so I'll stop now. > Have to get to work > anyways. > > Regards, > Freemor > > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- > Version: GnuPG v1.4.10 (GNU/Linux) > > iEYEARECAAYFAk5kxEgACgkQrI3ScBGIX7qtgwCgmdwnE0l/HFAnRfhK5cMk2mgB > 8QIAn1n/cbl86ns15MNbwnTz8agw5seI > =bFFV > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- > > _______________________________________________ > Qi Hardware Discussion List > Mail to list (members only): [email protected] > Subscribe or Unsubscribe: > http://lists.en.qi-hardware.com/mailman/listinfo/discussion > -- Jon Phillips http://fabricatorz.com/ chat/skype: kidproto | irc: rejon +1.415.830.3884 (global) | +1-510-499-0894 (sf) +86-187-1003-9974 (beijing) _______________________________________________ Qi Hardware Discussion List Mail to list (members only): [email protected] Subscribe or Unsubscribe: http://lists.en.qi-hardware.com/mailman/listinfo/discussion
