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Thoughts on Flash (from Steve Jobs) #truth

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How the iPad is going to change the game.

I’ve been reading the tweets, I’ve been reading the reviews, and it all kind of snapped for me just a second ago.

The iPad is going to change the game. The iPad is going to change the Internet. The iPad is going to be revolutionary…

For the people that use it.

It goes without saying, I will never own an iPad, much less anything else i-Based. Ever. I don’t believe in the way Apple makes its users user computers or its products. It’s fundamentally flawed for the way I operate my environment (key words are “I operate” and “my environment”). The iPad is going to open a world of opportunity to people that don’t need to, want to, or have to take the time and effort to do things on their own. It’s one of those things that people can just buy, load with apps from iTunes, and use while they’re on the can. Awesome.

Tablets

I don’t have anything against tablet computing. In fact, I think it’s a great idea and a good direction for technology to turn. It’s a hardware item that’s been trying to become popular for nearly 2 decades, so if the iPad is going to do anything for me, it’s going to bring actually useable tablets to the market that I can get excited about. Perhaps my first Windows 7 device will be a tablet! That’s likely, though my laptop might make it there before another device hits my desk.

#Appleganda

Again, Apple did not invent the Tablet, and this round of “hype” circles around their OMG FUCKING EPIC! INNOVATION of a bigger form factor of the now-tired and completely played out iPhone; except this one doesn’t make calls. Sorry, big damn deal, people. It’s a tablet. They’ve been around for ages. It’s a tablet with a marketplace. The marketplace (iTunes) has been around for ages too. People are making neat apps for it, as well they should – but that doesn’t make the device innovative. It doesn’t even make it awesome. We can count on one thing, the lemmings will buy it and force companies to do something for it as a result. Yay!

Flash

I’m not going to stop using Flash for things. I like developing in Flash when needed; and newsflash! Flash isn’t only for video. Apple doesn’t want Flash on their devices except to serve up ads; which points me to the one point I made about Apple before… Read this part slowly:

Apple doesn’t want Flash on their devices because if they allowed for it; Apple would LOSE control of the iTunes app store and people could roll out whatever apps they wanted to, to be downloaded from anywhere, sans the iTunes app store. Apple, in no way, whatsoever, wants this. Therefore, they’ll make excuses about why they’re not including Adobe Flash on their devices, like – it’s buggy. Safari’s buggy, and they still include that fucking browser on their devices.

Result?

I’ll get a tablet when I see a need for one on my armada of gadgets. I’m a hound for new toys, yes – but I don’t go running out and buying crap I don’t need just to be a cool kid, or for bragging rights. I graduated from the 4^th grade a looooong time ago. That mentality does absolutely nothing for anyone, not even the person who has the toy before anyone else. That’s about as awesome as claiming “first” to comment on a thread or post on a website… which, we all know is equally as important as being the smartest kid at retard camp.

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What's it like to be Apple-free?

In a word? Fine.

Just like everyone else that uses a computer, it’s a tool to get things done. What’s that mean? Well, as long as I can do what I do, how I know how to do it, and quickly, then there isn’t a need to pony up and fanboy a company at will, just to have an integrated solution.

Kettle, black

With the seamless integration I already enjoy between my Windows Servers (I have 2), Windows Workstations (I have 3), and my Nokia cell, which runs all sorts of stuff (you can read about in my fanboy press-like blog posts raging about how awesome my experience is with these devices in general at enrique-gutierrez.com someplace) – there’s no need to Apple-fy my network or computer experience, and personally, I think it’s more controllable, more contained, and that makes it “better”.

Music

Amazon Music is the only way to buy music, in my opinion. It’s fast, it’s priced well, and it’s simple. For me, iTunes is just this weirdly automated, and completely “dumb” piece of software that tries to be too smart. I use computers to serve my needs, and I don’t want them serving my needs to me. I’ve seen what iTunes does to some people at times, and it’s awful. Granted it works great for others, and I’m sure people LOVE the seamless experience it provides for their iPod, iPhone and AppleTV products… I thankfully don’t own a single one, and believe those that don’t use iTunes should continue to do so, and make a point about it – to ensure “other” services are continually available for us.

Television/Movies

I’ve been streaming media to my television for 5 years now from a dedicated media server appliance called a LinkTheater from Buffalo. It’s a robust device that displays Photos, Music and Videos, sometimes streaming (but “eh” I have no need for that typically). When you mix it with Nokia PC Suite and Home Media Server, you truly do get an integrated experience that you can micromanage if needed, and alter any way you choose. Love it. AppleTV? I heard it’s neat, I’m sure it is. But I’m also sure it’s too controlled, and too automated for my tastes.

Computing

Simply put, my experience is superior within the configuration I’ve created, hands down. I have a network though, and home-based networks with VPN, web-services, and media-services will trump most computing experiences in general. But because most people aren’t nerd enough  to want to pull this kind of thing off, it probably sounds like a bit “much”. I do believe that everyone should run a server in their house, and I do believe that everyone should have at least one media host/server system set up to some form of home theater system, but that’s just me I think.

Overall, I never complain. I patch my systems, use them and abuse them at will, and rarely run into issues, never issues I can’t fix. Again, most people that use computers never worked as a Network Engineer or a Systems Administrator either, but I think most people should at least have the knowledge to “change a tire, if they’re going to drive a car”, in my opinion.

Apple

Apple takes the tire changing need away from the driver, and provides them with mechanics and service departments for their finely tuned machine. These are great mechanisms, and I love that they do it, for others. It will never be for me, and I’m glad it won’t. This whole mentality probably comes from my car-fixing background, or the whole “how’s this work” take it apart” mentality. Anyhow, like I said in the beginning, as long as you use computers, as long as you can get things done, and as long as it takes little to no effort to do so, you’re doing it right, regardless of how it is done.

This is just another post in light of the hype surrounding the marketing engine that is Apple with their special releases and that turtleneck guy people flock to because … I have no idea why, but hey! He makes what most people do easy. Gotta love a guy that can do that, no?

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