Linked List: February 16, 2010

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Jim Ray on the WebKit Mobile Browser Monoculture ★

Jim Ray:

More importantly, though, with something like browser rendering engines, I’m philosophically opposed to a monoculture.

First, I was observing more than celebrating. (But if any one rendering engine had to win the whole mobile shebang, I’m delighted it’s WebKit. But I’d love to see Mozilla get its mobile balls on.) But, bigger point: if any individual WebKit platform vendor disagrees with the direction of the mainline WebKit trunk, or simply thinks they can do better, they can do so. Real open source.

And:

For one, replace “WebKit” with “Flash” and suddenly the iPhone is the holdout.

Really? Every WebOS, BlackBerry, and Android phone today ships with Flash? I didn’t know that. (Not to mention Windows Phone 7, which isn’t shipping until “holidays 2010”, and which apparently isn’t going to ship with Flash.)

Windows Mobile 7 and Copy-and-Paste ★

Greg Kumparek:

As far as I could tell, there is currently no copy/paste functionality. We were told that “developers will hear more about that” at Microsoft’s MIX conference next month, though it was implied that it would be about why copy and paste “won’t be necessary” rather than when it was coming.

How 2007.

Kontra on Google Buzz ★

Kontra:

Google is a $170 billion company. It employs thousands of engineers and developers. It tests, tests, tests, and tests more. In fact, its “designers” once unable to pick a shade of blue tested 41 variations of it. It’s ludicrous to think that the Buzz fiasco was simply a result of under-testing.

Simon Willison’s Questions About the ‘Blocking’ of HTML5 ★

Good questions, and some informative comments.

A Conversation Dan Wineman Has Every Month or So ★

Me too.

‘We’re the Stupid Ones’ ★

Ed Finkler:

When folks need an elevator, we should give them an elevator, not an airplane. We’ve been giving them airplanes for 30 years, and then laughing at them for being too stupid to fly them right.

Information Resolution on the Windows Phone 7 Series ★

Luke Wroblewski compares the Windows Mobile 7 photos and app store apps to their iPhone counterparts.

Tonio Loewald on Adobe and HTML5 ★

Tonio Loewald:

This is procedural bullshit, plain and simple.

I know Adobe claims they’re not “blocking” anything related to HTML5, and many of you are taking them at their word on this. I hope you’re right. But they are undeniably doing something behind the scenes with, as Loewald eloquently boils it down, W3C procedural bullshit. Adobe can call it “seeking clarification” or whatever they want. I say it’s obstruction.

I think they’re trying to get the W3C to agree that 2D canvas is not part of “HTML5” proper as a first step.

RIM Previews WebKit Browser for BlackBerrys ★

Every major mobile platform is now either using WebKit or will be soon. Except for one.

Gawker Reports on NYT Turf Battle Over iPad App Pricing ★

I love the New York Times, and the iPad app demo they gave last month looked great, but $360 a year is insane. It’s a simple choice between playing for the (digital) future and temporarily propping up the (print) past.

Report Claims Malicious PDF Files Comprised 80 Percent of All Exploits for 2009 ★

At least it wasn’t Flash.

Josh Topolsky’s Windows Mobile 7 Impressions ★

Josh Topolsky:

The design and layout of 7 Series’ UI (internally called Metro) is really quite original, utilizing what one of the designers (Albert Shum, formerly of Nike) calls an “authentically digital” and “chromeless” experience. What does that mean? Well we can tell you what it doesn’t mean — no shaded icons, no faux 3D or drop shadows, no busy backgrounds (no backgrounds at all), and very little visual flair besides clean typography and transition animations. The whole look is strangely reminiscent of a terminal display (maybe Microsoft is recalling its DOS roots here) — almost Tron-like in its primary color simplicity. To us, it’s rather exciting. This OS looks nothing like anything else on the market, and we think that’s to its advantage.

Certainly interesting and original. My first impression, though, is that if nothing looks like a button, and tappable text looks like non-tappable text, how do you know what you can tap?

Matt Buchanan on Windows Mobile 7 ★

Matt Buchanan:

Every phone will have a Bing (search) button and a Start button. Custom skins, like the minor miracles HTC worked, are now banned. The message to hardware makers is clear: It’s a Windows Phone , you’re just putting it together. Basically, phonemakers get to decide the shape of the phone, and whether or not there’s a keyboard.

Microsoft’s dilemma by not building their own phones: they’re acknowledging that hardware matters, but if hardware matters, what’s the motivation for handset makers to excel if there’s nothing they can do to stand apart from others except for lowering their price? Microsoft’s message to handset makers is, more or less, “You’re going to do what we tell you to do and we’re going to take all the credit.” Very different from Android. Maybe that’s what these handset makers want, though.

One other word on hardware, in a manner of speaking. Hardware it won’t work with? Macs. Which is kind of stupid to us — a lot of the people Microsoft wants to use Windows Phone 7, like college students, have been going Mac in droves. You wanna lure them back Microsoft? Let them use your phone with any OS.

I think Microsoft has its fingers in its ears and is doing the na-na, can’t hear you thing regarding Mac market share (and demographics).

Yes, the browser is Internet Exploder. And yes, the rumor’s true: It won’t be as fast as Mobile Safari. Not to start.

“Not to start”, eh?

History is on Microsoft’s side here—we know what happened the last time Apple had a massive head start.

Not to be a smug dick here, but wasn’t the last time Apple had a massive head start over Microsoft the iPod? Speaking of which, no word on whether Windows Mobile 7 phones will support PlaysForSure.