Reinventing How We Use Computers(ploum.net)
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Reinventing How We Use Computers
https://ploum.net/2022-12-03-reinventing-how-we-use-computers.html
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> My idea is to place a keyboard in a pair of gloves
Like in the film: Johnny Mnemonic?
Like in the film: Johnny Mnemonic?
It might look similar but this typing [1] is totally not what I want to see in this device.
The fingers must be springed and some clicking mechanism needs to chose between one of 3-5 rows of keyboard for each finger. Then one of 2 thumbs has to tell the keyboard to read the position of one of 8 remaining finger. Index fingers and pinkies might have a strafe (one more level of freedom for each of these 4 fingers) to support 2 columns of keys per each of these 4 fingers. This is how I'm going to implement my gloves keyboard with enough keys to type on English.
[1] https://youtu.be/UzRjtvMQds4?t=106
The fingers must be springed and some clicking mechanism needs to chose between one of 3-5 rows of keyboard for each finger. Then one of 2 thumbs has to tell the keyboard to read the position of one of 8 remaining finger. Index fingers and pinkies might have a strafe (one more level of freedom for each of these 4 fingers) to support 2 columns of keys per each of these 4 fingers. This is how I'm going to implement my gloves keyboard with enough keys to type on English.
[1] https://youtu.be/UzRjtvMQds4?t=106
It's rare that I see a posting which I disagree with virtually every statement made. It seems like the author is trying to cram the world into a "one size fits all" dystopia of their own design. I don't want a large high travel mechanical keyboard, I prefer low profile. I don't want a small screen to travel with. I find the form factor of the clamshell laptop with a large display and large trackpad to be pretty optimal for all purposes.
The point is that people have different preferences. The market should allow for folks who want mechanical key boards and trackballs, as well as those who want low travel keyboards and trackpads. Guess what? That's exactly the world we live in.
The point is that people have different preferences. The market should allow for folks who want mechanical key boards and trackballs, as well as those who want low travel keyboards and trackpads. Guess what? That's exactly the world we live in.
> I don't want a small screen to travel with.
Have you ever had a trip longer than 24 hours? When I had such a trip, I felt the desire to remove my big luminous screen and put eink in its place. This could save me upto 1000%-10000% of the charge (10-100 times longer working time) on some sections of the path. What I'm saying is that travel is the best time to read or create really deep stuff, and a glowing, power-hungry display doesn't fit the travel scenario the author is talking about. But the Forever Computer described in the article, which is suitable for everyone, is in first order the interface between a person who has hands/speech/brain activity and other computers that already have a screen.
I understand that you are most likely a designer, because you need an impressive display and a fairly crappy keyboard. Let your Forever Computer have a keyboard that suits you, have the ability to connect a screen that suits you, but will not let you down when the batteries designed to power your screen run out.
Have you ever had a trip longer than 24 hours? When I had such a trip, I felt the desire to remove my big luminous screen and put eink in its place. This could save me upto 1000%-10000% of the charge (10-100 times longer working time) on some sections of the path. What I'm saying is that travel is the best time to read or create really deep stuff, and a glowing, power-hungry display doesn't fit the travel scenario the author is talking about. But the Forever Computer described in the article, which is suitable for everyone, is in first order the interface between a person who has hands/speech/brain activity and other computers that already have a screen.
I understand that you are most likely a designer, because you need an impressive display and a fairly crappy keyboard. Let your Forever Computer have a keyboard that suits you, have the ability to connect a screen that suits you, but will not let you down when the batteries designed to power your screen run out.
The guy is french. Maybe it's a one size fits all approach which makes sense to french people?
So the author prefers a tech world centered on the keyboard rather than the screen. I guess I can see why, since the author wrote a terminal-based browser. But I think the vast majority moved away from terminal-based browsers for a reason
And similarly some are moving back for a reason.
Signal to noise on modern web is frog boiling[1]. RSS, newsboat, w3m, mpv on an old thinkpad - i'm not advocating going full Stallman, or that everyone should do it - but when i want to get to do things with intention its a lovely set-up for me.
Its like having an off-grid cabin at weekends. I work all day on point and click interfaces, after work, i strip back and focus on what matters.
Its kinda great.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog
Signal to noise on modern web is frog boiling[1]. RSS, newsboat, w3m, mpv on an old thinkpad - i'm not advocating going full Stallman, or that everyone should do it - but when i want to get to do things with intention its a lovely set-up for me.
Its like having an off-grid cabin at weekends. I work all day on point and click interfaces, after work, i strip back and focus on what matters.
Its kinda great.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog
I have made a similar switch recently. I grew tired of having to use an OS that seem more and more designed to push me in a direction I do not want.
My biggest criticism is the idea of a machine that does 80% of what you expect. Unless it does 100%, people will buy regular computers as well, and have 2 devices.
If an ethical eco-device can't replace the existing standard, it's probably just increasing the amount of stuff produced and resources used, unless people live without that 20% of functionality at all.
I actually enjoy the laptop form factor. It puts my hands close to the screen so I can see the keyboard with my peripheral vision. One day I might learn touch typing, but without that I find a laptop pretty much just as pleasant to use as a monitor and mechanical keyboard.
If an ethical eco-device can't replace the existing standard, it's probably just increasing the amount of stuff produced and resources used, unless people live without that 20% of functionality at all.
I actually enjoy the laptop form factor. It puts my hands close to the screen so I can see the keyboard with my peripheral vision. One day I might learn touch typing, but without that I find a laptop pretty much just as pleasant to use as a monitor and mechanical keyboard.
It’s easy to look at this article, see assertions which are absolutely the opposite of ones personal experience and conclude that the author is an idiot. For example, I almost entirely reject the idea that there is utility in making it hard to look at the text that you’re typing. I’m assuming it’s true for the author (why else would he say it?) but it almost all the work I do depends on me being able to scan around the content that I’m working on, and the more screen real estate I have to play with, the more effective I am.
All the same, I think he’s hit on something important, and people who accuse him of pushing a “one size fits all” agenda are misunderstanding his argument. There are plenty of people out there for whom the “clamshell laptop” is a good match for their computing needs. But that’s not the point. The point is that if you are not one of those people, then you’re basically stuffed because you have no choice but to pay for hardware components which you do not need and which actively make your working / playing / living experience worse.
I am one of those people. I hate the non-reactive, low-travel keys which are ubiquitous on laptops. And I hate the screen. The specifics of my eyesight mean it’s always in the wrong place and it never shows me as much content as I need to do any of my jobs. If I’m going to do any kind of work, my first actions are to plug in a mechanical keyboard and attach a much larger vertically mounted screen. But I (or, more usually, the company that happens to employ me) inevitably end up forking out not inconsiderably amounts of money for keyboards and screens that I’m not going to use and which actually make my working environment less ergonomic and more frustrating to work with because one of the key requirements of my job is that it is done in different places, which mean I need to have a laptop, and it is simply assumed that a box with a screen attached and a keyboard built in is what a laptop is.
This is the real strength of the forever computer proposal. Not that those who find a clamshell laptop a good fit to their needs are “doing it wrong” and need to change their expectations and working practices, but rather that those who do not find it a good fit should not be required to put up with it. The company I work for is currently recruiting new developers. Each one one who joins will be given the same laptop preshipped with the same software because we all do “the same job”. This totally ignores the differences between our physical and cognitive attributes and the places in which we will find ourselves working. Allowing our hardware to truly reflect our different needs would be better ergonomically, emotionally and economically. Sadly, it seems to be something that simply cannot be done in the modern hardware ecosystem.
There was a time when computers and information technology offered the prospect of autonomy, customisation, choice. Increasingly it feels as though the real proposition is, “You can make any choice you like, so long as it can be monetized and maximized in terms of revenue generation.” If you want something which suits your personal needs and makes your life better, but doesn’t generate plus signs on some financial planning spreadsheet then, sorry, you’re shit out of luck.
All the same, I think he’s hit on something important, and people who accuse him of pushing a “one size fits all” agenda are misunderstanding his argument. There are plenty of people out there for whom the “clamshell laptop” is a good match for their computing needs. But that’s not the point. The point is that if you are not one of those people, then you’re basically stuffed because you have no choice but to pay for hardware components which you do not need and which actively make your working / playing / living experience worse.
I am one of those people. I hate the non-reactive, low-travel keys which are ubiquitous on laptops. And I hate the screen. The specifics of my eyesight mean it’s always in the wrong place and it never shows me as much content as I need to do any of my jobs. If I’m going to do any kind of work, my first actions are to plug in a mechanical keyboard and attach a much larger vertically mounted screen. But I (or, more usually, the company that happens to employ me) inevitably end up forking out not inconsiderably amounts of money for keyboards and screens that I’m not going to use and which actually make my working environment less ergonomic and more frustrating to work with because one of the key requirements of my job is that it is done in different places, which mean I need to have a laptop, and it is simply assumed that a box with a screen attached and a keyboard built in is what a laptop is.
This is the real strength of the forever computer proposal. Not that those who find a clamshell laptop a good fit to their needs are “doing it wrong” and need to change their expectations and working practices, but rather that those who do not find it a good fit should not be required to put up with it. The company I work for is currently recruiting new developers. Each one one who joins will be given the same laptop preshipped with the same software because we all do “the same job”. This totally ignores the differences between our physical and cognitive attributes and the places in which we will find ourselves working. Allowing our hardware to truly reflect our different needs would be better ergonomically, emotionally and economically. Sadly, it seems to be something that simply cannot be done in the modern hardware ecosystem.
There was a time when computers and information technology offered the prospect of autonomy, customisation, choice. Increasingly it feels as though the real proposition is, “You can make any choice you like, so long as it can be monetized and maximized in terms of revenue generation.” If you want something which suits your personal needs and makes your life better, but doesn’t generate plus signs on some financial planning spreadsheet then, sorry, you’re shit out of luck.
I have similar thoughts but closer to rather having a decent keyboard then having one more computer. My idea is to place a keyboard in a pair of gloves which is able to serve as either regular wireless keyboard to a device with screen or wired keyboard with earphone instead of screen.
I appreciate your thoughts on how our screens shape us as computer users and I think that audio interface will make our computer experience more like intimacy: most of people are OK when 20% of screen is proposing you an adware (because rest of the screen still serves on purpose) but nobody will listen even one second of adware per 59 seconds of content.
That is how I see the future of portable computers: keyboard as a main source of input, sound as a main source of output, FOSS operating system and ability to be the keyboard for unlimited number of those computers with screen.