Re: [dev] [OFFTOPIC] Recommended meta-build system

* David Tweed <david.tweed_AT_gmail.com> [2010-02-03 08:32]:
> On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 4:15 AM, Noah Birnel <nbirnel_AT_gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Mon, Feb 01, 2010 at 04:49:52PM +0100, stanio_AT_cs.tu-berlin.de wrote:
> >
> >>... a mobile phone with integrated camera,
> >> touch screen, 'apps' for learning languages, etc. is as much suckless as an
> >> axe with a door bell, toilet paper and nuclear power generator.
> >>
> > At this point a mobile phone is a general purpose portable computer. The
> > camera is no more out of line than the speakers hooked up to your home
> > box.
>
> I partly think it's perception shape by marketing. You can still buy a
> mobile phone that only has voice functions. You can also buy a more
> general communications/entertainment node device which has a host of
> hardware and software that's all appropriate to that usage, including
> as one component making voice calls. The only problem is that they're
> still marketed as "phones"

Perfectly right.

> (I've never subscribed to the philosophy that an entity should "do one
> thing well" but rather that "there should not have non-orthogonal
> capabilities in the same entity". If you're into that sort of thing, I
> don't see any reason why you'd consider mobile photo-taking, internet
> browsing, causual entertainment games, etc, to be non-orthogonal to
> chatting to friends: they're all ways to entertain yourself while not
> at home.)

Yes. I have no problem with integrated devices as long as they agree with
the above philosophy, *and* as long as integration is not the cause for
preventing them to fulfill their purpose. What is the benefit of a phone
which has to be recharged every day, just because it is capable of playing
music (not because you hear music every day)? Zero. Synergy^{-1}

In addition, I definitely prefer to be able to take my phone, camera,
portable computing device separately, when I need only one of them, with
sane battery life, dimensions, etc.

So, the solution is modular design with clear and simple interfaces. And
this is possible. But we come again to the marketing division -- they would
rather buy the license for such design, put it in the safe in the basement
and be calm that nobody will come up with sth that cuts their sells a bit,
even if it will make the world better. There are many examples of this.

-- 
 stanio_