On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 10:50 AM, Stroller <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:stroller@stellar.eclipse.co.uk">stroller@stellar.eclipse.co.uk</a>></span> wrote:<br><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div class="Ih2E3d">> I would like openmoko to do bold steps.<br>
> But they should also be careful.<br>
<br>
</div>Introduction of a multi-touch screen would only fragment the userbase.<br>
10,000 Freerunner owners would be bitching that they can't run<br>
$new.app because it requires the new screen type; owners of the new<br>
device would be bitching that existing apps don't use the cool new </blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">interface.<br>
</blockquote><div><br>Well, that might be true.. But the case might also be that the userbase<br>will shrink if nothing is done. That depends on what people want from<br>their hardware. The lack of a new type of user interface which some of<br>
us believe is far superior on a hand held device will at least make me<br>think twice before buying a new OpenMoko.. I bought the GTA02 since<br>I found what OpenMoko was doing a great thing and I wanted to support<br>that good effort.. But if the hardware is always a couple or more generations behind the leading pack then it's not much use, then I'm just trying to help<br>
a hopeless cause. The phone is a hardware disabled toy.<br><br>I certainly don't speak for everyone, since there are plenty of voices for the<br>current solution as seen in this thread, but I think the user base will shrink<br>
steadily while the use of multi touch gets more and more users on the big<br>platforms. It's the future as I see it, and either we place us in the future, or<br>we place us in the past... With a platform as the OpenMoko we have that<br>
choice. <br><br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><br>
Hardware decisions are best made by those who actually have an insight<br>
into ALL the variables of the planned hardware. The whims of you & I<br>
are simply irrelevant if Openmoko / FIC are unable to purchase multi-<br>
touch screens. In case you're not aware, hardware decisions have<br>
already been constrained by an unavailability of parts in such small<br>
quantities as those used in Openmoko devices - you might have to buy<br>
100,000 or 1,000,000 units before the vendor will talk to you.<br>
</blockquote><div><br>Yes, that's makes it a catch 22, because if you don't put together a<br>hardware solution that is good enough, then the amount of people<br>buying it will be small... And if you can't sell enough then you can't<br>
buy the good parts.. If that makes you aim low, then why bother at<br>all?<br> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><br>
Besides that, GTA03 is no longer subject to change - isn't it stupid<br>
to be making plans (especially when you're not in a position to do so)<br>
for GTA04 or 05, when the hardware available by that time might be<br>
quite different from what is on the market now?<br>
<br></blockquote></div><br>I know that the GTA03 is probably all decided hardware wise... But I think<br>this might be a good discussion anyway. And the market is big, apple has shown<br>that... And note that Apple doesn't have it's reputation since they make poor<br>
hardware decisions, but the opposite. There's still a future out there tomorrow<br>and if we want to we can be part of it too.<br><br> Best regards<br> Anton<br>