Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonbone
I also feel as though the iPad was designed for ME  . I honestly don't understand the iPad haters.... |
I'm not an IPOD hater, but I'm unhappy about the way things are headed, and companies like Apple in particular.
[rant on]
I cut my teeth on personal computing way before IBM had their first PC. In those days there was a thriving hobby community where everyone was excited to help and share what they had cobbled together. You learned and had fun by doing. I created my own Forth and BASIC interpreters and C compilers so I could grok how they worked. I wrote a screen-based text editor in PL/I. I built my own prom burners, 110/300 baud modems, etc. Without these I wouldn't have the skills that make me so marketable.
Now take Apple as an example. Out came the Apple II and a community really thrived. User's would learn how to get in there and modify just about everything. You didn't want to wake up your parents with the startup "chime", you peeked and poked the loader to prevent it. Come forward to today... The iPhone has gone the other extreme. Hackers are constantly thwarted, if they get in, then they are blocked in the next release. Same with iTunes, blocking access by the Palm WebOS products.
The iPad is a computer, but you no longer own it. If Apple wants to disable it or prevent you from reading a book remotely they can. I fear for the hackers of today since they will be blocked out of playing with the devices they paid for. It's turning the next generation into a bunch of watchers and gotta-havers instead of doers. I fear for our home-grown engineering talent. You wouldn't have a Jobs or Gates if they were part of today's generation, and I blame it specifically on the greed of the Jobs and Gates of previous generations.
I have more respect for Gates after his marriage to Melinda. Her values have really turned him around and form the Foundation, but the damage has already been done to the current generation of technical entrepreneurs.
I base all this on my personal experience. The resumes that cross my desk have changed. There is no passion in most anymore. I used to find something that I could talk about when I give an interview besides direct work experience, but no longer. Where are the audiophiles, or HAM operators that actually build something? Where is the involvement with a community group, athletics, or their DJ business? Something that I can hear real excitement. My hiring interviews have become short and boring, all I can do is press them for their job related experience.
[rant off]