Re: the worst PDA of all time

On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 06:49:24 -0000 (UTC)
Lawrence D’Oliveiro <[email protected]> wrote:

> Notice, though, how Microsoft’s FUD power has weakened each time it
> has wielded it: it destroyed Go, was only partially successful against
> Palm, failed against Linux, and was completely humiliated over
> Android.
> 
> Nowadays I think it has learned to keep its carnivorousness on a leash
> over new products like the Steam Deck.
> 
> Bonus fun fact: did you know Windows XP was designed from the ground
> up to support tablets with a pen interface? From his Comdex 2001
> keynote

I remember tablet technology at the time was pretty awful, basically a
WinXP laptop folded back on itself, with too much weight, lousy pen
interfaces, and all the hardware issues WinXP was known for, like
unreliable suspend/restore, and the things had spinning rust hard
drives in them.  Lousy experience, no wonder nobody wanted crappy
hardware with crappy software welded onto it.

SSDs and all the advances of iphone/ipad and android tablets made
tablets something worth using.

Fond memories of when Billg and co would announce a competing product
simply to dampen the enthusiasm of the market.  Good Lord I hated that
era.