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Comment by spwert | Hacker News Reader

This tidbit from the interviewer made me laugh:

> Surely there’s an opportunity there for the global Linux community to influence laptop design for the betterment of everyone?

Yes, because Linux-influenced hardware has worked out so well in the past. Do we really want to reenact the Android catastrophe in the laptop space?

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What Android hardware catastrophe? I'm not being facetious, I'm genuinely curious.

Perhaps he is referring to hardware fragmentation? Calling it a catastrophe seems a bit exaggerated given the enormous success of Android though.

"a bit exaggerated" or "wild distortion of facts" ?

A bit exaggerated. The direction Android has taken really rubs me the wrong way. The hot new phone is obsolete after 3 months and stuck with an old OS unless you root. It's not a trend I can appreciate the way I did when Android first surfaced.

I never understand this argument. How is an Android phone more obsolete than an iPhone after 3 months? Technology progresses just as fast in both cases.

I think he was referring to the fact that many Android phones don't receive updates after the first few months, whereas iPhones are typically receiving updates at least 2 years after release.

Fair enough. I assumed he was talking about being obsolete hardware wise.

I'll agree that Android updates aren't exactly timely, but saying they're abandoned completely after a few months is a bit unfair.

This show that it's not so unfair : http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphan...

"Catastrophe" is a word describing a grave disaster. I suppose you would characterize the IBM PC explosion as a catastrophe as well?

And more importantly, by what theory is Linux being held responsible for it? I'm not genuinely curious, I'm just being facetious.

then again most drivers for the "android hardware" are proprietary.

Before you said Android, I thought you were going for the OLPC laptops. :-)

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