Re:Canonical releases Ubuntu 16.10
by Pxtl on Thursday October 13, 2016 @10:54AM
(#12701127)
Having used Windows 10 and the ascendance of responsive webpages, I can see its potential. Obviously Microsoft completely bungled it in Windows 8, but otherwise:
This is something that can be done and done well, and if so I'd love to have a phone with the power and software of a full desktop device, expressed in a phone-oriented UI.
The trick is that there's a matrix of several features that have to be considered:
1) Tiny screens means that multiple visible applications is not useful, and that all OS UI needs to be auto-hidden (something users want to be able to do anyways). Font sizes may need to be scaled up (that's something you need to be supporting anyways for older folks).
2) Touch means adding new ways to interact with existing widgets (drag scroll, for ex) and buttons need to be scaled up to have a larger hit-area (and you alreayd have to deal with scaling up fonts, so fixed-size UI elements already went out the window).
To me, the important thing is that 1 and 2 are not duct-taped together. If I have a phone and a stylus or I plug in a keyboard and mouse, I want 1 but not 2.
On the other hand, if I have a 20" touch-screen, I want 2 but not 1.
This is something that can be done and done well, and if so I'd love to have a phone with the power and software of a full desktop device, expressed in a phone-oriented UI.
The trick is that there's a matrix of several features that have to be considered:
1) Tiny screens means that multiple visible applications is not useful, and that all OS UI needs to be auto-hidden (something users want to be able to do anyways). Font sizes may need to be scaled up (that's something you need to be supporting anyways for older folks).
2) Touch means adding new ways to interact with existing widgets (drag scroll, for ex) and buttons need to be scaled up to have a larger hit-area (and you alreayd have to deal with scaling up fonts, so fixed-size UI elements already went out the window).
To me, the important thing is that 1 and 2 are not duct-taped together. If I have a phone and a stylus or I plug in a keyboard and mouse, I want 1 but not 2.
On the other hand, if I have a 20" touch-screen, I want 2 but not 1.