Re: Further development on Windows?

I basically agree both with Ken's analysis of what is happening to handheld devices and his comments concerning Shadow desktop.

I have gone to the UX partly, obviously, because I got a very good deal on mine (I never would have paid $3,000 for one -- I just don't have that kind of money). But the real logic is that once I get everything over to Windows, I know that those applications will be with me for the rest of my life. Windows isn't going away. Some day my UX will need replacement, but I know that on that day Windows devices will be out there. Also, Microsoft drives a lot of "de facto" standards, which means that basically I will be abel to connect to everything one way or another. On the Palm, for instance, one major issue is whether you can load the Web sites you need. On Vista that problem doesn't exist -- everything works with Windows. If Jeff does decide to creaste a real stand-alone version of Shadow on 
 the desktop (that is, with full functionality and the ability to export tasks to calendar apps) he definitely will do it on Windows first (because it represents by far
 the largest market), and his export system will use Microsoft's de facto standards because so many people use Microsoft Office, and even the competition such as Google Calendar uses those standards. Similarly when CESD is using the same standards. So automatically I know that at that point I will be able to link Shadow and Pimlical directly, even though neither are Microsoft products. So yes, Vista has its drawbacks, but universal connectivity and the end of all those issues so common on the Palm is a huge attraction that played a major role in my choice of a replacement to my Palm T3.

I still have some apps on the T3, and in some cases I am going to have to hand enter things like my recipe collection into a database in the UX, which is really annoying and is caused by the lack of connectivity between several apps on the Palm and anything on the desktop. But once I do that I know that I will be on standards-based software and will never have that problem again.

So I really hope Jeff does go ahead with a revision of the desktop program. I definitely will relicense if he does.

 Bert Latamore
Freelance Editorial Consultant




________________________________
From: Ken Latham <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 1:51:14 PM
Subject: Re: [shadow-discuss] Further development on Windows?


Far be it from me to pretend to be any kind of Oracle ...

But I'm convinced that "small device" platforms are on their way out (big "duh", in my book).  Small devices are getting so "big", they can run full blown OS's (properly ported, of course)

For example, I have a Nokia N810.  Runs Maemo Linux, which was specifically designed for devices.  But lately, there has been a significant push to get standard Debian running on it.  There are three separate projects, if my count is correct.  One is an official Debian project (Mer?), not a Nokia one.  (the grassroots attempts are already quite workable on the device).

So, I think CESD targeted the desktop, because soon everything will *be* a "desktop" device.

The major impediments are Apple, all of the carriers, and Win CE (maybe the Pre as well, we'll see).  But I firmly believe they are fighting a losing battle.  (I include Apple until they release their store stranglehold)

So, if the "pocketable full-OS universal communications device" is just around the corner, even with the persistence of closed OSes, a "VM" is in the perfect development position to move onto all of them.  I'm pretty sure that's why CESD chose Java ... its already there on most established OSes that will be running these devices.

This is not a great revelation, I don't even pretend that it is.  VMware, Google, and Nokia are all working toward a level of abstraction that crosses all platforms.

The upshot being that I believe improvements in the desktop version of Shadow would be time well spent.   But if you don't carry over your users soon (as CESD seems to be achieving), you'll loose them ... uh, us.

I'm moving what I can off of the Palm onto Linux (Dell Mini 9), and having success with most applications.  And, I have specifically been looking (pretty hard) for a straight-forward notes/ToDo/PM piece of software.  And, quite frankly, I believe Shadow is in a niche of its own.

Ken

P.S. The only reason I have been looking for a replacement for the Shadow desktop is that it can not communicate directly with Outlook/Exchange without the Palm as an intermediary stop.

--- In shadow-discuss@ yahoogroups. com, Jeff Mitchell <skeezix@... > wrote:
>
> On Thu, 12 Mar 2009, Knut Zakariassen wrote:
> 
> # 
> # IMHO, Evernote (http://www.evernote .com) has hit as close to the
> # perfect balance between local client and webapp as we are likely to
> # see anytime soon. Same deal with Foxmarks. Local app that syncs with
> # "the cloud" whenever access is available; paired with a good web
> # client that also can be used by handhelds.
> 
> 	There are a lot of online tools (see Basecamp 
> http://www.basecamp hq.com/) for instance, and probably versions of 
> Sharepoint and so on.. big thing to get into.
> 
> 	I do think there is a niche for something more Shadowy, and the 
> trick of course is to carve a small piece of a very very large pie. But .. 
> hard to say.
> 
> 		jeff
> 
> --
> If everyone would put barbecue sauce on their food, there would be no war.
>


   

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