MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Poll: Is Palm still interesting and relevant?

mogui · 06-02-2007, 09:21 PM

Yes, the geek factor . . .

IMHO the reason the PC took off in 1981 was that it became an open standard for hardware and software. Manufacturers could design for the ISA bus and software developers had the PC Bible full of BIOS calls and interrupt vectors. Before long it was obvious that, though Apple was better in some respects, the PC had more and cheaper options. That was the same reason the Amiga was not a market success.

Similarly, the Palm quickly had a big following among software developers. It was not long before Tucows and its peers offered a huge choice of software.

Now look at Linux. Anyone can sharpen their software skills by contributing to an open-source project. Participation confers a sense of ownership, territoriality, and a sense of in-group loyalty. The Linux following is so huge it is held as an example of cultural evolution.

How will the Foleo fellows proceed?

06-02-2007, 09:21 PM	#25
mogui eNigma Posts: 503 Karma: 1335 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: The Philippines Device: HTC G1 Android FBReader	How will the Foleo fellows proceed? Yes, the geek factor . . . IMHO the reason the PC took off in 1981 was that it became an open standard for hardware and software. Manufacturers could design for the ISA bus and software developers had the PC Bible full of BIOS calls and interrupt vectors. Before long it was obvious that, though Apple was better in some respects, the PC had more and cheaper options. That was the same reason the Amiga was not a market success. Similarly, the Palm quickly had a big following among software developers. It was not long before Tucows and its peers offered a huge choice of software. Now look at Linux. Anyone can sharpen their software skills by contributing to an open-source project. Participation confers a sense of ownership, territoriality, and a sense of in-group loyalty. The Linux following is so huge it is held as an example of cultural evolution. How will the Foleo fellows proceed?