[AccessD] Ramblings of a nutcase

Jim,

It's easy to say the desktop is dead unless you need to get some work done.
 I defy anyone to do anything meaningful in a spreadsheet on a smart watch
or even a phone.  You can build something somewhere else and run it on
those devices, but you still need a larger display to create it.  I have a
windows tablet that I rarely use because I'm on my laptop all the time.  So
my two must-have devices are an android phone and a windows 8.x laptop.
 Guess what?  I use the browser for email and research.  I have nothing
against web apps, but they don't fill every niche, and I think the desktop
(or at least, the laptop or all-in-one) is going to be around for a while.

Charlotte


On Thu, Feb 27, 2014 at 9:34 PM, Jim Lawrence <accessd at shaw.ca> wrote:

> Hi All:
>
> The truth of the matter is that OS FEs are history. Anyone with a little
> bit of effort can make own front end via the browser; HTML, CSS,
> JavaScripts, libraries and so on. If you are so inclined the browser
> interface could be made to look like a Windows8.x or any other
> interface...It is all limited by your imagination.
>
> Companies like Save-On-Foods, Rona and Walmart just run a browser front
> end to their invoicing applications (cashiers work stations). They could be
> setup for any type of application, whether it is just a single station, a
> network or a full or partial internet set of apps. It is great when the
> systems support guy can broadcast an application to any station on the
> network and can change the UI depending on any policy deemed appropriate
> per group or per individual.
>
> This concept can be made to over-ride the standard licensing of per
> station or per of user and that is why there is so much blow-back to this
> type of implementation. Also there is no limits on the type of applications
> and what OS that can be run...as long as there is an full-link whether UNC
> or HTML...the applications and data can be stored locally, anywhere on the
> network, anywhere on the internet or in the Cloud (local or remote) (...and
> of course whether your station is physically capable of performing the
> task).
>
> All a station needs is to have is the ability to connect via a variety of
> standard protocols.
>
> In summary, our new powerful browsers are in the process of making our
> desktops irrelevant, IMHO.
>
> Aside: Some ambitious soul could build a Windows8.x interface and fix it.
> ;-)
>
> Jim
>