the scariness of droid3 and the google monstrosity

By basd on Feb 5, 2012 | In kde4, linux, opensuse, cloud computing, droid3

Shifting paradigms. I still really, really like my Droid3. Except, where is that Droid4 ... not the first one, the next one with the global chip like my Droid3???

...

My paradigm for the future is already being eclipsed and the result is not pretty. Though it is. My paradigm has been that we should be able to have our Main Computer installed as an appliance on a chip, could be on one's keychain or just in one's cell phone. There would then be ubiquitous computers everywhere that run the basic platform -- eg., virtualbox, hypervisor or whatever. So, plug in anywhere and you are on a "real computer."

Unfortunately, "my" paradigm has been eclipsed before implemented. Just as Microsoft's entire business model was eclipsed in 1995 when the masses acquired computers that could browse the internet. Lack of agility has not hurt Microsoft yet ... but Google is the company that "gets it."

I like and don't like Android: it's a linux clone of sorts, but there is branch of the kernel that Linus says won't merge back together for four or five years. So, you are pretty much stuck with Android Apps and can't just throw OpenSUSE 12.1 on your phone. Or KDE 4.8 for that matter.

Why does this matter? Because 85% of what we do DOES NOT require high powered processors. The evolution for the primary public is even faster than for me ... I read recently that most people don't need a computer, just a smartphone. Absolutely true. What do people use their computers for? Browse the web (check); write emails/txt/etc. (check); social web (check); play music (check); watch video (check). Ok, sure it is running on a slow (and power efficient) 32 bit processor. But, just as IBM thought PCs were underpowered toys running on the underpowered 8086, it's pretty easy to be too smart for one's own good. The public isn't buying a processor, it's buying a solution.

So ... I downsized from 17" laptops to netbooks because the format is more portable. But guess what ... for a lot of purposes, the Droid3 is totally interchangable.

Now, as some commentators have pointed out, the Google model is a "negative cost" to the consumer. MS bloatware can't compete. Moreover, most people don't need MS Office (or even LibreOffice). They just think they do. Google Docs works just fine.

Wherein lies the problem. With Googleware, you are totally captive to the biggest spyware system on the planet. Totally the opposite of the independence that OpenSource software provides.

Your phone knows who you are and where you are at all times. You can only deactivate it by removing the battery -- oh, wait! I understand the Droid4 does not have a removable battery!

But, browsing the Motorola site it becomes apparent that the Droids -- and by extension, the Androids -- have jumped the existing paradigm. The reason is, you can now dock the Droid to a keyboard and large screen. There is no longer any real point for the average consumer to own a computer, just a smartphone. In fact, with the new wireless monitors and already existing bluetooth keyboards, it probably won't even be necessary to purchase Motorola docking stations (another product leapfrogged over before really coming to market).

So, we will be totally locked into a single monopolistic provider. Just as broadcast tv survived decades on the irritating support of commercials, the advertising-supported paradigm for all computer-based tools is destined to eclipse everything else except the most specialized applications and the most dedicated hobbiests.