It is the same problem the last generation had, in large part, with the public schooling Microsoft monoculture. Kids grew up on Windows 95 and Office and are now indoctrinated into Microsoft tooling, probably for life, as loyal customers. A very valuable investment on Microsoft's part to capture the computer knowledge of a large portion of a generation.
I don't think this is as big of an issue as you think. I would be part of that generation. Almost everyone I know (and I mean regular people, I don't have many tech nerd friends) has switched to OS X in work and personal life. A few are on Chromebooks too. Most use a mixture of MS Office (when required for work/college) and Google Docs. So although I agree that there was an MS monoculture when growing up through the 90's/00's I disagree that has led to lifelong loyal custom.
The counterexamples you provide (OSX and Chromebooks) follow basically the same UI paradigms as the Windows machines they replaced (even if some of those might have been copied from earlier Macs). There still may be less overall diversity in the computers we use, even if there are now a number if different logos on the box.
Edit: I do see that HP made graphing calculators with native RPN in the late '80s, so perhaps they were pushing these for academic markets, although today they seem to be the provence of surveyors.
Random aside: I first learned RPN from my father, a budget analyst, and have used it ever since. RealCalc is an Android calculator app with an excellent RPN mode, if you're curious.
Before Python, I ordinarily used bc (a Unix command that acted as a basic calculator) for simple calculator calculations at my desk. bc was much more popular that the other Unix calculator dc which used RPN. Now I just use python's REPL. I only use a calculator if I'm away from a real computer (which is rare since I carry a smart phone).
It's more cumbersome for a single arithmetic operation, but when you're chaining operations together the stack is very powerful.
It's a lot less abstracted from the way the computer works.
I think games used to be the big differentiator for many people, more so than office software, but now the gap is decreasing rapidly on all fronts. Apple needs to revisit the Mac mini as a low-cost entry into their ecosystem and make it an attractive PC in its own right as well. I know they're going to be adamant about GPU upgradability, but they should at least promote the Thunderbolt-based external GPUs and help them be a viable solution.
It's not necessarily bad, it's just a different philosophy; some prefer computers to be appliances, like their TV or refrigerator, that "just work." Others prefer computers to be DIY-servicable machines, like cars, that require active and regular maintenance but can be improved if one is so inclined.
Just because all the "appliance computer" manufacturers almost went out of business going into the 1990s, doesn't mean that philosophy failed, and the recent resurgence of Macs has proven as much.
I suspect in an alternate universe/timeline with slightly different twists of fate, the IBM PC has died instead and closed proprietary hardware is the dominant paradigm.
It is necessarily bad if you make yourself (or, more important) your business totally dependent on somebody who is a monopoly supplier.
> doesn't mean that philosophy failed, and the recent resurgence of Macs has proven as much.
I think all the proprietary systems failed, and there were dozens if not hundreds of them. Apple was the only significant survivor, mainly for pseudo-religious reasons.
The only areas where proprietary systems survived are in mainframes (perpetuation of IBM monopoly) and in games consoles (where hardware can be sold at a loss).
If the IBM PC had died, the world of CP/M would have continued....
> the recent resurgence of Macs has proven as much
Not really. The recent resurgence is mainly due to the fact that its lack of serious and/or business software is not the barrier it was when (a) most people can do most things online and (b) it has Unix underneath.
MS produced tools, lots of people use them. MS didn't write the textbooks and explain to students that Windows was the be-all-end-all of operating systems, the rest are heathens.
A video game like this, to be successful, requires a well-structured volunteer base (hard), or profit. And it's hardly a monoculture, anyone who wants to put in the time and money is able to produce a competing game.
Wait...are you referring to Roblox or Minecraft?
The hatred towards for-profit companies is childish. Why would you expect anyone to build games for you for free?
Oh, wait...
My school district has been an Apple monoculture from the time they got their first Apple ][Es in the early 80s to the present day. Other than occasionally playing with a Win 3.1 machine in Sears or something I never touched a Microsoft product until I got my first computer at home when I was 17.
Given that an uncontrolled market will always favor consolidation, there is at least one obvious step to prevent the dystopia you mention.
Mac concentrates on a few niche features that work really well (like IOS/iphone) and Linux on the desktop (not on the server) is always 10 step behind.
Minecraft, actually teaches logic, and other skills that can be applied anywhere - and these kids will naturally move onto other tools for work in life - I don't see anybody stuck using minecraft at work (which did happen with MSO).
Yeah, Orwell could write a book out of it.
I don't think I've ever gotten more value from a software purchase than buying Minecraft for €9.95 in 2010.
Personally I'd rather see subscriptions fund a server that's always up. I've researched running my own Minecraft server for the local kids, but it's really not worth it.
I've been running one for over a year on my gaming PC and home internet connection.
Calculating the power costs put it at about $30/month in electricity, ignoring all the time wasted getting it running.
They have it all. Those computers have firmware, an OS (LuaOS), filessystems, network routers, you name it. You can do pretty interesting things with the peripherals. You can also program robots.
Open computers does have robots, but they are much more difficult to actually build, and have more constraints. I did try to get into OpenComputers, but everything felt so much more limited and expensive, and I just wanted to program cool things.
Source: my 8 year old daughter who tattled on strangers and said "didn't their parents teach them to keep stuff private?"
That kid. <3
The moment ic2 stopped development I lost interest.
Buildcraft spawned factorio however, so my logistic nerd needs are satisfyed :)
That said, not just any pack will do. My absolute favorite is TPPI2; I think it's by far the most professional one, but it does require a pretty hefty machine. If it doesn't work, then there are a number of smaller/more specialized packs that likely would.
Roblox is designed for MMO play from the start, but worlds (or whatever they're called) are completely open to modification with their free editor. Then you can script things in Lua. Lua!
The other night my son was antsy at the dinner table. So I asked him why the rush. He said he "had a flight to catch". Turns out he's joined a group that operates an "airplane" that has scheduled flights in and out of an airport that someone has created. He interviewed to become the first officer on the flight.
It's messier than Minecraft, but the players seem to understand the potential. They're hiring, actually. (no I don't work for them). The stats on this page are interesting too:
http://corp.roblox.com/careers