[DUG] Google(HTC) Phone

[Paul A Norman]

I think from a Delphi perspective things were once a lot more straight
forward.  MS provided the platform, they were our VHS if you like
indeed.

Initially Mac did not need to be developed for - numbers too low, and
mostly not in a pure business type of operation with the exception of
graphic designers - who didn't seem to need a lot of developed
applications outside side of Adobe and Corel  :)

Linux was still trying to get X-Windows working stably and usefully.

And IBM's GUI OS never really took off particularly with a little
fancy footwork from MS over licenses on win3 which left IBM out there.

So this meant that initially on average the only real concern a Delphi
developer had on the GUI front was Win16 and Win32, and additionally
the occasional  console application.

Then MS gave us Win32S which 3.11 for Work Groups could handle..

Now it is all a bit more of a muddle as you imply, and it is not clear
yet that technical excellence is ruling the day.

And that may always be the problem with a market force driven OS choice.

Pressures other than excellence will be brought to bear, like who can
sow up the OEM market through commercial tactics.

>From a Delphi perspective, talk of Mac OSX and Linux direct, have
always posed a big dilemma - when and how much effort to put into it?

Now additionally we have the burgeoning area of handhelds.

And in desktop application area we are yet to see what Google Chrome
OS will finally do - will it all be in the cloud or will they leverage
their previous gears type technology and hybridise the location of
application and data?

What will Delphi have to offer for Chrome OS as time goes by?

Will this eat into MS?

So it is a little bit more complex than VHS vs Beta but as you say
suddenly DvD was there.

>From a developer's point of view its a bit like driving on a motorway
which keeps crossing over different jurisdictions with different road
codes, and you need to keep a copy of each beside you all the time, or
a motorway that has toll booths and you have to use different
currencies for each toll booth!

The days of one dominant OS may be dwindling I could see three main OS
being in the market place -- and who knows what may come out of Asia!

The unlocking of the http to cope with DNS of any alphabet, and the
infusion of UTF-8 will no doubt by implication embolden players
elsewhere with new energy to release new OS's into large localised
markets, which may finally have a house of cards effect on some of the
standing OS's as we know them.

Imagine in Auckland trying to develop in Delphi for the business
community where each little sub group feels more affinity for not just
a home country language pack on a well established OS, but for an OS
developed in, and for, an offshore community?

In terms of technical excellence we are going to see (in no particular
order and apologies for leaving anywhere out) Vietnam, Japan, India,
and parts of China blossom, and set themselves to making OS's that we
have not even dreamed of yet.
In fact it has already happened with international implications in the
past - TRON "Now it is used in 60% of industrial equipment and
information appliances." but at that time it was blocked from the
desktop - see http://www.japanese-greatest.com/technology/market-share/tron.html
- however I do not believe that such blocking would be easily done in
the future without legislative backing.

So Tower of Babel obstrification of languages continues, we started
with oine main 'lanuage' MS et al, now there are many OS!

And I am sure the future holds  for even more OS and new ways and
platforms for doing things.

Maybe people will have to choose to be masters of limited horizons,
and not try to develop for all OS's in the future?

Paul

2010/1/23 Gary T. Benner <gary at benner.co.nz>:
> [Reply]
>
> HI all,
>
> At 16:40 on 23/01/2010 Paul wrote
>
>>HOpefully it is centralised like you say Gary,
>
>>
>
>>But ...
>
>>
>
>> "Some XML DTD will evolve no doubt for that <g>. "
>
>>
>
>> Some XML DTD will evolve no doubt for that <g />
>
>>
>
> We live in a world that is like the jungle, it's survival of the fittest.
> The last two decades have seen a technical domination, not from technical
> competence, but by technical ignorance ... a situation allowing Microsoft to
> exert undue influence over business in every country.
>
> The ignorance was from the users, however we seem to be entering a period
> where the that technical knowledge is ever increasing, and old ways are
> passing. MS now have competition in the form of Google, who for the most
> appear to have smarter engineers, and some higher level of ethics. But hey,
> I'm not naive here. ( Before Jolyon et alia leap in and accuse me of
> fanciful thinking ...) .. it is something everyone has to keep proving.
>
> We need to keep the competition, but in a way that technical excellence
> wins. Like most I got frustrated with the VHS vs Beta outcome ... but then
> again along came DVD's some time later.
>
> I think the world is realising that companies better server the world when
> they compete on service, not over some patent or marketing stranglehold.
>
> Freedom is a liberty many have died for in the past, and it applies as much
> to technology as to politics.
>
> cheers and have a good weekend.
>
> Gary
>
> Gary Benner
> Director Semantic Limited - Software Development & Systems Design, Online
> Education, e-Commerce
> Director 123 Internet Limited - Managed Web Hosting, Virtualisation, High
> Availability Systems & Cluster Technologies
>
> Ref#: 41006
>
>
> Mob: 021 966 992
> DDI: +64 7 543 1206
> Email: gary at benner.co.nz
> Skype: garybenner
>