"The network is the computer" - Sun used to tote this slogan for years, but the model never seemed to really catch on. Same with Application Service Providing. This idea is nothing new, as us unix-head 770 fans do quite a bit of remote X and ssh sessions. Still it may be doubtful that this model ever really makes it to the computing mainstream. For now it would seem that the future belongs to loosely distributed applications - web servers and web clients.

Well the traditional model also has quite a few issues with security, reliability and speed. What also makes the second model attractive is sharing - we want to communicate the products of our work with the application to other people, and what could be better than a (possibly access controlled) web site?

But well - the question remains whether you remote visionaries think that distributed applications will drive the internet tablet markets or will it rather be internet tablets driving new paradigms of computing? Will 770 aficionados be the first wave of a new computing revolution?

I think it may very well be a little of both. We've seen that there is a new need for mobile wirelessly networked devices because of the growth in web applications that reduce the need for large amounts of local storage space, as well as reduce the stress of the processors. We have seen how pdas and other mobile platforms have altered how several web pages are displayed and even how certain programs are developed. The 770 is quite a unique device that enables both scenarios to be carried out because of the fact that it will attract enough attention from mobile manufacturers to want to jump into the newly created genre of mobile devices. Also, companies such as Google are beginning to show interest in devices like the 770 and I wouldn't be surprised to see more applications developed with these new devices in mind.

What we all need to realize is that this is just the first installation of this type of device. This is the time when other device manufacturers sit on the side lines for a while to see if this idea will be embraced by enough people to support new devices in their portfolio. Also, we have yet to see an OS update for the 770, and that in and of itself remains as a key factor to the viability of this new idea.

Yes, I think software will become a service instead of a product. Software absolutely must, however, continually be improved, to be viable as a service. People will pay for what they consider to be useful and valuable. Nobody should pay anything for a software service that doesn't get it done for them. Nobody should have to sign a contract for a software service that requires them to pay for it if they don't use it.

In the case of vertical market software the performance standard is that the software has to actually save you money and make money for you, and that the amount of money from both of these cases is significantly more money than it costs you to use the software.

I build GUIs and apps on the assumption that all software is vertical market software and that each vertical market requires a GUI specific to the requirements of that particular vertical market. Software for use in the home, by members of a family, is the largest vertical market.

The only GUIs worth using in the future will be network-driven GUIs. More to the point, touchscreens are clearly becoming ubiquitous. The people who design GUIs that only people with a mouse can actually use need to wake up and deal with the fact that touchscreens are not going away. In the case of the 770 the big news will be icons that directly invoke the use of remote computers. An icon needs to be able to do anything over the network as easily as it can do anything locally. The X protocol ensures that this can be done external to the application itself so this and anything else that X is doing never has to be integrated into any application. This includes the touchscreen functionality, too.

People don't object to the fact that things cost money. They object to costs which are out of proportion to the value delivered. If the value is established, and it's clear, then the fact that it costs something will not be an objection to its use and this is true of software as it's true to anything else.

According to Microsoft, 100 million Wintel-based UMPC devices will be sold in 2008. Figuring in the rest of the general market that would mean at least 200 million pads&tablets. See link: http://archives.seattletimes.nwsourc...&query=origami

Time for reality check?

I'm not holding my breath while waiting for Microsoft to deliver a handheld version of the Microsoft 'experience' that corresponds to the desktop version of the Microsoft 'experience. The Microsoft desktop implies 'a display on a PC that mostly pretends that it's a network terminal' for every user, the antithesis of what the 770 implies - 'a remote network display' for every user.

I find myself in full agreement with Andrew Orlowski who shares my opinion of the Microsoft/Intel Origami as a 'clunker'. The Origami is just further proof that Microsoft still 'doesn't get it' and is determined to ride the 'PC uber alles' paradigm right into the same cannonfire that greeted The Charge of the Light Brigade.

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On another note, we're working on adapting our POS code from its use of the 'old' core X fonts to the newer Xft Fonts and Fontconfig that the Nokia requires. X on the Nokia is but a subset of X on the desktop and X apps that rely on the X core fonts are just not going to work on the Nokia, even remotely. Lesson of the day, there. We're moving away from using the X core fonts which means that we will no longer have to provide the fonts that we use with the package. That makes our code significantly smaller and more versatile, and everybody wins. Matthew Allum has been helpful and we're grateful to him, as always.

Anybody who is an aspiring X guru with font experience and wants to help out should give me a shout.

While no real information is yet available, N800 was rated sixth in computer top sellers in Amazon today.

Wow! That is profound.

Just curious DC (and anyone else who'd like to chime in...) as to in what ways would you say that the 770 (or 800) is a 'little better than the Zaurus' other than the obvious point that the Nokias have built-in WiFi and on the Zaurus I have to use a WiFi CF card for that???

I ask as I'm currently using (quite happily...) a Zaurus SL-C3200 clamshell style model, yet recently heard about the Nokias and while quite intrigued by them and somewhat tempted to get one, I'm trying to understand why I'd want one over the Zaurus which also has a little, but nice built-in keyboard for example...

Would sincerely appreciate any and all input on this....will help me make a decision as to whether or not to take the plunge....

Don't mean to hijack this thread, so if preferred, PM me if more appropriate...

Mark - I guess the fact that the Nokia devices are still produced and supported is a big plus. The Zaurus line is now discontinued, leaving only community support (which is no bad thing, but not the same as manufacturer support).

The bigger screen on the Nokia devices makes a huge difference when surfing the web - a 640x480 screen just doesn't cut it, whereas 800x480 is very usable.

A keyboard would be nice, but not essential IMHO - it would add weight/size to the Nokia devices, and I can get by quite happily with the virtual keyboard.

The Nokia devices also have a thriving support community, with lots of development support from Nokia themselves.

See if you can get a demo of a N800 in a CompUSA-type store, then decide.

Also, the ITs have not only Wifi but also BT (for networking through cell phones, using GPS and keyboards etc.).