[OT] web/desktop dying

[Nick Sabalausky via Digitalmars-d]

On 11/10/2016 05:14 AM, qznc wrote:
> On Wednesday, 9 November 2016 at 16:00:45 UTC, Nick Sabalausky wrote:
>>
>> But it probably will take over anyway, because, let's face it, when
>> the fuck has being complete and utter fucking shit ever stopped a
>> computing tech from becoming a runaway success?:
>
> I don't believe that.
>
> Software developers need a big machine, because these days you have to
> run a bunch of VMs to get anything done. Unless we migrate to
> Cloud-IDEs, we will use PCs in the foreseeable future and I don't see
> Cloud-IDEs happening.
>
> Office Workers who are happy with MS Office alone could use Android.
> However, there is always this old internal app, which barely works on
> newer Windows versions. It will take a few decades until those are
> replaced.
>
> Executives could move to pure mobile and probably already did. Reading
> reports and writing emails works well already.
>
> I believe the PC is just as tenacious as the x86 architecture, which is
> still backwards compatible over the last three decades.

I hope you're right, because I definitely need to use an "old-fashioned" 
machine in order to get things done without wasting enormous time & effort.

But I've experienced this pattern far too many times to be confident in 
that:

- I use XYZ all the time, just like everyone else. It has a few things 
that could use improvement, and would be entirely feasible to fix, but 
for the most part works fine.

- Instead of XYZ's existing, easily solvable, problems actually BEING 
solved by those in a position to do so, somebody (maybe even the same 
people) comes out with UVW, with tons of fanfare because of one or two 
little things it does better. But, for the MOST part, UVW is total shit 
and vastly inferior to XYZ.

- UVW's hype begets more hype as people worldwide mistake hype (and 
"newness") for worthiness.

- Most people delude themselves into pretending UVW's downsides 
(compared to XYZ) don't exist, because after all, it's newer and has 
hype so therefore it's unquestionably better. Or, they just simply 
tolerate UVW's downsides, because, again, it's the hot new shit, so it 
MUST be the right tool for the job, right?

- Eventually, more and more people are forced to migrate from XYZ to UVW 
because of both market and industry pressures and because of XYZ 
becoming harder to obtain and getting less and less attention, shrinking 
ecosystem, etc.

- UVW marginalizes XYZ.

- A small faction of UVW users actually recognize UVW's downsides (or at 
least recognize there are "dinosaurs" who are holding out and must be 
converted for their own good). So the UVW folk make a half-assed amateur 
attempt to "fix" the downsides, only UVW still never actually reaches 
parity with XYZ. And why bother trying? XYZ's already been all but 
killed off.

I've seen it over, and over, and over. Unless people finally wise up and 
quit mistaking hype for worthiness (highly unlikely), I fear the same is 
poised to happen to PC's. I'm already forced to rely on these god-awful 
"modern" smartphones far more than I'd like to.