MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Really--Really--Understanding the PE

MasterTec · 01-22-2012, 02:05 PM

My PE was my first Android experience as well, and I had the same exact concerns you did about it and it drove me batty. But then I realized this:

Android (and other mobile operating systems) are designed with idiots in mind. Basically they are supposed to be idiot proof. There is nothing complicated about it and you're not supposed to be concerned about partitions and where files are stored and how to change settings for different things.

You've been spoiled by Windows that gives you ten different ways to do each task and is very customizable. Also windows gives you options through the GUI (Graphical User Interface) to make adjustments to permissions and changes to settings. Android (and it's Linux father) doesn't make this easy like you're used to. Instead many settings and adjustments can not be made through the GUI, instead it all has to be done through a CLI (Command Line Interface - which some people call DOS or PROGRAMMING style) using text commands and parameters.

This is helpful in some ways but difficult in others. It's helpful in the fact that it keeps the idiots from playing around with all the settings and breaking their devices. It's difficult in that since all of the commands (and what they do) isn't right there in front of you.. well if you don't know what you are doing you'll never figure it out.

One example of this is screen resolution. With windows you can just right click on the desktop (or click on the graphics icon, or go to the control panel and click on display, or any number of several different ways to get to it) and select screen resolution and change it to whatever. Android doesn't give you this option. Instead you have to go in and manually modify a configuration file somewhere and HOPE that you change the correct line of text to a setting that actually works. If it does work then great! If not then you just bricked your device and you have to go back in through the back way and chance it back (and hope you remember what it was before).

Simply put with Android devices (and IMO Linux as well) there are users and there are programmers. There really is no in between. "Power Users" like us have a much harder time as we don't want to be demoted to "User" status.. but we don't know enough (or in my case don't have the attention span) to learn enough to make it to "Programmer" status so we are left disappointed.

If you can't learn to just take the device at face value and use it for what it's intended for.. and if you're not willing to learn programming then you're going to have a difficult time truly enjoying this device.

This was me a few months ago. I was ready to throw it out of the window because I just felt so stupid using it. Not that I couldn't figure out how to use it... it just felt like the O.S. was so "dumbed down" that using my PE made my IQ drop a few points. But then I learned that it's not a PC and it never will be... and that I don't NEED to know all of its ends and outs to be productive with it and things got better.

It also helped a lot once I upgraded to my Optimus V Android smart phone. There are many custom ROMS that can be installed that open up a bunch of menu options to let you play with things that you can't normally mess with (without knowing how to access them from a CLI and configuration files). I felt a lot smarter about things then. Unfortunately there isn't much like this available for the PE.

I've learned to let the programmers make the ROMS and all I have to do is kick back and reap the benefits of their work. (Of course I donated to the effort as well.)

I have many family members that think they are God's gift to earth because they own an iPhone and because of this I've played with them enough to know that they are REALLY dumbed down. I guess that's why people love them.. it makes them feel smart because they're able to figure them out. This has the exact opposite effect on me. They are nice devices no doubt but after five minutes of playing with one I've figured out all there is to figure out with it and I'm bored with it. I go back to my $80 phone which does all the same things and gets much better battery life!

Then there's my dad's Kindle Fire. It's nice and feels solid but wow! The only settings you can change with it are wifi, volume and brightness controls! That's it! But it does work well as an internet "appliance" and he loves using it to watch movies while in Chemotherapy so it's hard to talk bad about it. It makes him happy so I guess that's all that matters!

01-22-2012, 02:05 PM	#2
MasterTec Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 14416 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: enTourage eDGe Pocket	My PE was my first Android experience as well, and I had the same exact concerns you did about it and it drove me batty. But then I realized this: Android (and other mobile operating systems) are designed with idiots in mind. Basically they are supposed to be idiot proof. There is nothing complicated about it and you're not supposed to be concerned about partitions and where files are stored and how to change settings for different things. You've been spoiled by Windows that gives you ten different ways to do each task and is very customizable. Also windows gives you options through the GUI (Graphical User Interface) to make adjustments to permissions and changes to settings. Android (and it's Linux father) doesn't make this easy like you're used to. Instead many settings and adjustments can not be made through the GUI, instead it all has to be done through a CLI (Command Line Interface - which some people call DOS or PROGRAMMING style) using text commands and parameters. This is helpful in some ways but difficult in others. It's helpful in the fact that it keeps the idiots from playing around with all the settings and breaking their devices. It's difficult in that since all of the commands (and what they do) isn't right there in front of you.. well if you don't know what you are doing you'll never figure it out. One example of this is screen resolution. With windows you can just right click on the desktop (or click on the graphics icon, or go to the control panel and click on display, or any number of several different ways to get to it) and select screen resolution and change it to whatever. Android doesn't give you this option. Instead you have to go in and manually modify a configuration file somewhere and HOPE that you change the correct line of text to a setting that actually works. If it does work then great! If not then you just bricked your device and you have to go back in through the back way and chance it back (and hope you remember what it was before). Simply put with Android devices (and IMO Linux as well) there are users and there are programmers. There really is no in between. "Power Users" like us have a much harder time as we don't want to be demoted to "User" status.. but we don't know enough (or in my case don't have the attention span) to learn enough to make it to "Programmer" status so we are left disappointed. If you can't learn to just take the device at face value and use it for what it's intended for.. and if you're not willing to learn programming then you're going to have a difficult time truly enjoying this device. This was me a few months ago. I was ready to throw it out of the window because I just felt so stupid using it. Not that I couldn't figure out how to use it... it just felt like the O.S. was so "dumbed down" that using my PE made my IQ drop a few points. But then I learned that it's not a PC and it never will be... and that I don't NEED to know all of its ends and outs to be productive with it and things got better. It also helped a lot once I upgraded to my Optimus V Android smart phone. There are many custom ROMS that can be installed that open up a bunch of menu options to let you play with things that you can't normally mess with (without knowing how to access them from a CLI and configuration files). I felt a lot smarter about things then. Unfortunately there isn't much like this available for the PE. I've learned to let the programmers make the ROMS and all I have to do is kick back and reap the benefits of their work. (Of course I donated to the effort as well.) I have many family members that think they are God's gift to earth because they own an iPhone and because of this I've played with them enough to know that they are REALLY dumbed down. I guess that's why people love them.. it makes them feel smart because they're able to figure them out. This has the exact opposite effect on me. They are nice devices no doubt but after five minutes of playing with one I've figured out all there is to figure out with it and I'm bored with it. I go back to my $80 phone which does all the same things and gets much better battery life! Then there's my dad's Kindle Fire. It's nice and feels solid but wow! The only settings you can change with it are wifi, volume and brightness controls! That's it! But it does work well as an internet "appliance" and he loves using it to watch movies while in Chemotherapy so it's hard to talk bad about it. It makes him happy so I guess that's all that matters!