Warp wrote:
>   Besides, you can backup the contents of an iPhone/iPad.

But only if you already have a real computer, yes?  Or is there something 
that will back it up to .mac or some such? (Doesn't Apple have some online 
service thingie you can subscribe to?)

>   Nothing stops anyone from making a word processor or spread sheet for the
> iPad either. In fact, Apple is encouraging people to do so.

Yeah, great, until you want to print your document out. :-)

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
    Ada - the programming language trying to avoid
    you literally shooting yourself in the foot.

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scott wrote:
> and the Xbox360 lets you write programs for it using C# and XNA, 

Well, in some sense. XNA is specifically limited to keep you from mucking 
with the network and such, so you can really only write games. You can't 
contact your own server, you can't get things from the disk to anywhere 
else, etc. All you have is one directory, a network connection to other 
instances of your game, the controller and speaker and screen.  You can't 
even send email to the email address of the person logged into your game 
while it's running, for example.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
    Ada - the programming language trying to avoid
    you literally shooting yourself in the foot.

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Warp wrote:
>   I suppose the iPad continues the same ideology of being a tight sandbox
> which is safe to use and hard to mess up (unlike a laptop, which is simply
> a PC/Mac, and which is very easy to mess up).

My disappointment is that you can't easily use an iPad to replace the thing 
that's hard to use and easy to mess up.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
    Ada - the programming language trying to avoid
    you literally shooting yourself in the foot.

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Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> >   Nothing stops anyone from making a word processor or spread sheet for the
> > iPad either. In fact, Apple is encouraging people to do so.

> Yeah, great, until you want to print your document out. :-)

  Actually since iPhone programs can make http requests, one could devise
a system where you send the document to your PC via http, and have the PC
print it out... Contrived, but entirely possible.

  (Yes, it is entirely possible. Eg. games use this to send high scores
to online servers.)

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Warp wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
>>>   Nothing stops anyone from making a word processor or spread sheet for the
>>> iPad either. In fact, Apple is encouraging people to do so.
> 
>> Yeah, great, until you want to print your document out. :-)
> 
>   Actually since iPhone programs can make http requests, one could devise
> a system where you send the document to your PC via http, and have the PC
> print it out... Contrived, but entirely possible.

Sure. Which, again, means you need a PC as an adjunct. You could write a 
word processor. You can't print it out. You can only send it to someone else 
to print it.  You wouldn't need http - just email it to the mail account on 
your laptop.

And it's certainly not the kind of thing that someone who doesn't even want 
a Mac is going to code, is my point.

>   (Yes, it is entirely possible. Eg. games use this to send high scores
> to online servers.)

Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing XNA disallows.  I don't think 
Microsoft wants an XBoxBotNet.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
    Ada - the programming language trying to avoid
    you literally shooting yourself in the foot.

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Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> Warp wrote:
> > Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> >>>   Nothing stops anyone from making a word processor or spread sheet for the
> >>> iPad either. In fact, Apple is encouraging people to do so.
> > 
> >> Yeah, great, until you want to print your document out. :-)
> > 
> >   Actually since iPhone programs can make http requests, one could devise
> > a system where you send the document to your PC via http, and have the PC
> > print it out... Contrived, but entirely possible.

> Sure. Which, again, means you need a PC as an adjunct.

  But the point is that you could write your document during a 10-hour
flight and then print it out when you get home... (A laptop won't do,
unless the airplane offers a wall socket you can use to recharge the
battery.)

  No, it's not the best way of writing documents, but it's theoretically
possible.

> You could write a 
> word processor. You can't print it out. You can only send it to someone else 
> to print it.  You wouldn't need http - just email it to the mail account on 
> your laptop.

  I was thinking about an automated system, where you install the word
processor on the iPad and a printing program on the PC, so you can print
by pressing a button on the iPad. Contrived, but possible. :)

> And it's certainly not the kind of thing that someone who doesn't even want 
> a Mac is going to code, is my point.

  I didn't understand that.

> >   (Yes, it is entirely possible. Eg. games use this to send high scores
> > to online servers.)

> Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing XNA disallows.  I don't think 
> Microsoft wants an XBoxBotNet.

  Not supporting online highscores is a big minus for game developers.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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Warp wrote:
>   But the point is that you could write your document during a 10-hour
> flight and then print it out when you get home... 

Oh, OK.

> (A laptop won't do,
> unless the airplane offers a wall socket you can use to recharge the
> battery.)

They actually usually do, at least if you get out of coach.

Or you lug multiple batteries. :-)

>   No, it's not the best way of writing documents, but it's theoretically
> possible.

Or I could take a pencil. ;-)

>   I was thinking about an automated system, where you install the word
> processor on the iPad and a printing program on the PC, so you can print
> by pressing a button on the iPad. Contrived, but possible. :)

I suppose it *could* be made easier, yes.

>> And it's certainly not the kind of thing that someone who doesn't even want 
>> a Mac is going to code, is my point.
> 
>   I didn't understand that.

I was being mildly sarcastic, implying that the author of the program would 
also be the same user who finds a Mac intimidating and hard to use.

>> Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing XNA disallows.  I don't think 
>> Microsoft wants an XBoxBotNet.
> 
>   Not supporting online highscores is a big minus for game developers.

Understand that XNA is the free indy development system. Of course the xbox 
supports all that stuff if you sign up with Microsoft and do the legal 
paperwork.

I think the latest version has achievements and leaderboards, tho. I haven't 
downloaded it, but the online docs included classes with suggestive names.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
    Ada - the programming language trying to avoid
    you literally shooting yourself in the foot.

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And lo On Tue, 18 May 2010 17:12:13 +0100, Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom>  
did spake thusly:

> Warp wrote:
>>   Besides, you can backup the contents of an iPhone/iPad.
>
> But only if you already have a real computer, yes?  Or is there  
> something that will back it up to .mac or some such? (Doesn't Apple have  
> some online service thingie you can subscribe to?)

Yeah they have this MobileMe thing at $99/year 20Gb of storage space  
including email.

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

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And lo On Tue, 18 May 2010 12:50:58 +0100, scott <sco### [at] scottcom> did  
spake thusly:

>>  The iPad is not being marketed as a laptop. Why are you expecting it  
>> to be?
>
> I think the issue is that nowadays everyone expects anything the size of  
> the iPad with a screen to support a number of standard features.  These  
> include a USB socket for connection to external drives: memory sticks,  
> card readers, cameras, printers etc.  TBH this was the first I heard  
> that you cannot connect any standard external devices to the iPad, I  
> would have assumed it had a USB socket.

It has the optional iPad Camera Connection Kit for only £25. That gives  
you two dongles that plug into the Apple connector, one allows you to read  
SD cards and the other gives you a USB A slot to connect a camera  
directly. Note that firstly that's two connectors they didn't combine it  
into just the one dongle; and secondly it doesn't tell you if the USB slot  
is powered (judging by the questions and answers on the page the answer is  
no it's not). Ah Apple so sleek and well designed ;-)

>  It does has WLAN and/or bluetooth right?

Yes

> Can't you just share folders from another device that way?  A bit  
> inconvenient if you have a passive device like a memory stick or MP3  
> player.

"Here" said John, "I've loaded all the presentation files onto this stick  
for you to review"
"Ah" I said, "I've only brought my iPad with me. You couldn't email them  
all to me could you"

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

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Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> no way to put music on it without buying it

  Btw, what do you base this on? Does it work differently than the iPhone or
the iPhone Touch? Because in those you can put your own mp3's in the device
to be played normally, without any problems (you have to do it through the
iTunes program, but there's no limitation on what you can put there). I would
be quite surprised if it wasn't the same on the iPad.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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