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posted by martyb on Monday September 12 2016, @11:56AM   Printer-friendly
from the avoided-Betteridge's-Law-of-Headlines dept.

I've been an Android user since Froyo, over several devices. I'm beginning to think that there must be a better way.

First, although I liked Android, especially the part that was Open Source, I'll suggest that the whole Android ecosystem represents a dead end.

At a minimum, it seems like madness to rely on two or more layers of outside partners to deliver software patches and updates. It's just not reasonable or safe for end users to wait for months or years until device makers and wireless carriers deliver patches from Google - if they ever do.

That there's no way a user can update their system without their cooperation is just not acceptable today.

Second, even if an update or patch does arrive, it brings with it the likelihood that some feature or application that you have been using will be hobbled, eliminated, or just plain be made unusable by Google. Services provided by Google are subject to changes that, depending on your circumstances, make them significantly less usable. (Gmail being a prime example) Standalone apps like Reader or MyTracks may just stop working one day if Google loses interest.

Finally, there's the Play store, and the millions of apps available to users. I think that most people would agree that trying to find a usable app for a specific purpose is an exercise in frustration.

[Continues...]

The current system pretty much requires you to guess on a search term to find an app, then wade through dozens or hundreds of possible results.

App ratings are filled with obvious astroturf, or one word disses - neither of these help you tell if an app actually works. Without someone actually moderating the ratings system it is pretty much of no value.

There's no practical way to tell if an app is a finished product, or an abandoned half-baked pastime. Our only option, even with paid apps, is to install it and find out if it works.

There is speculation that Google may be preparing to abandon Android, but will a new Google OS really be any better for end users?

The problem is that Android has more or less become the only game in town, so what alternative will we see emerge?

Obvious notes:

a) Cyanogenmod - been there, done that. Not a realistic option for the vast majority of end users. And honestly, I just don't have the time and inclination to root and install it these days.
b) iPhone - actually owned a Powerbook for three years as my primary machine. Gave it my best go, but just don't like the way Apple machines do things. YMMV.
c) BlackBerry - actually really loved the BlackBerry, except that it REALLY didn't play well with Google contacts, and they refuse to support either Linux, or individual end users.
c) Linux - yup. Guess I'm spoiled. Stuff generally doesn't break, and if I need a specific tool or function — someone, somewhere has almost always created it.


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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Arik on Monday September 12 2016, @12:21PM

    by Arik (4543) on Monday September 12 2016, @12:21PM (#400657) Journal
    "That there's no way a user can update their system without their cooperation is just not acceptable today."

    That there is no way to stay reasonably secure without trusting these updates, and the routing that takes you to their source, is just not acceptable today.

    I started with computers in the early 80s. We've had more than enough time to get basic things like Operating Systems right. But that hasn't happened, and it won't happen, because the industry has the attention span of a 5 year old, and because it has no real interest in ever seeing things done right (that's not how you make the big bucks boy!) So as soon as any piece of software starts to approach stability it is simply abandoned and a new turd-polishing project begins instead.

    "Services provided by Google are subject to changes that, depending on your circumstances, make them significantly less usable. (Gmail being a prime example) Standalone apps like Reader or MyTracks may just stop working one day if Google loses interest."

    Good reasons to avoid anything made by Google.

    "There's no practical way to tell if an app is a finished product, or an abandoned half-baked pastime. Our only option, even with paid apps, is to install it and find out if it works."

    Even then you don't know. You have no idea what logic is buried in that binary, you do not have the source code, you're not even so much as allowed to compile the thing and then check if the binaries match - nothing!

    Any system that requires you to trust binaries is a broken system from the start.

    --
    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by cubancigar11 on Monday September 12 2016, @01:53PM

    by cubancigar11 (330) on Monday September 12 2016, @01:53PM (#400700) Homepage Journal

    That is because computing is not science but engineering discipline. There is no "frontier" to be at after settling down on an OS. Hardware part still sorta comes down to being actual science, but software is all about user-experience. And UI is purely engineering problem.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Arik on Monday September 12 2016, @04:01PM

      by Arik (4543) on Monday September 12 2016, @04:01PM (#400774) Journal
      That doesn't even make sense. It's not 'engineering' that causes this, it's a market marked by severe information imbalances, where buyers not only don't understand what they are buying but are not capable of understanding what they are buying. As a result, they rely on industry experts, who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo which provides them regular paychecks and not rocking any boats.
      --
      If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?