Re: [NTLK] Importance of Newton hardware vs. software

From: karel Jansens (kareljansens_at_tiscalinet.be)
Date: Wed Sep 01 2004 - 01:55:45 PDT


Andy Galluzzi wrote:

> Jim Witte escribió:
>
>
>> How does the form factor of a tablet PC, or other (sub) notebook,
>>compare to the Newton?
>>
>
>
> So you don't see the difference?
>
> Think a while... both run and operating system, but
>
> - When you have something in your mind, you can write your idea quick,
> just pressing the power button in your Newton and the notepad is there.
> With a Tablet PC you have to wait until the OS starts, search for you
> notepad and hoping it recognizes your write.

My Fujitsu has instant-on. It runs Windows 2k with PenOffice, which
gives it very good cursive and printed HWR (as it should, as PenOffice
runs on the ParaGraph HWR engine, which does the cursive HWR in the
Newton as well). It has lousy battery life, I grant you that.

> - New drivers and software installs instantaneously, and you can run
> them immediately, after you install it. With a Tablet PC you'll have to
> restart the OS after most installations.

That's only the fault of the brain-defective OS I'm forced to run. If
Phatware were to port their PenOffice to Linux, I'd have Debian on the
Fujitsu in an eyeblink (actually, more like half a day, as I install
Debian over the Net). It would make for a much more enjoyable and
stable system.

> - Newton and Table PC have agenda, everybody knows the Newton agenda,
> what is the Table PC one? Outlook? (supposing you run Windows)

I use Lotus Organizer, which is nice.

> Both platforms was developed with different ideas in mind. A Tablet PC
> doesn't look that it can arrange your busy life and give you a way to
> organize your ideas and the way they go. Newton makes that: organizes.
> It's a Personal Digital Assistance. A PC is more like a big tank that
> has a lot of power to run big applications in your desktop and makes it
> well, but don't ask it to organize your life in the way Newton can do
> it, because it would be the same as asking the US ARMY to take care of
> your baby: they will don't do that right and most of the time will do
> that really bad.

I see my tablet as a nice way to have a computer with me everywhere in
the house and, if I'm near a socket, to be able to compute for more
than 75 minutes. I like the Newton not so much because of its form
factor (although, like everything else, they managed to do that "just
right" as well), but because of its inventive and intuitive operating
system.

My biggest wish is the Newton user interface on every computer I've
got, from wristwatch to desktop, but with the ability to easily work
with "normal" files and filesystems. But then, I like using a pen on a
computer screen...

Karel Jansens

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