Category Archives: Karel’s Thoughts

Tablet or laptop? What PC to buy

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Tablets like Apple’s iPad, Google’s Nexus 7, and even upcoming Windows 8 tablets seem like a great way to save on your next computer, while gaining better battery life, more portability, and ease-of-use. But are tablets really the solution? Not yet.

Many people ask us about tablets, and whether they should get one instead of a laptop. Sometimes we’ll say yes, but usually we say no. The problem with tablets is that they don’t have the power or features necessary for real productivity. Sure you can watch movies or do basic web browsing, but not even those basic tasks are fully functional. Continue reading →

The Future of Flash is to Make Apps, Not Run Them

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There has been a lot of talk over the last couple of years now over the future of Adobe Flash. Apple has made a big push against the platform ever since the explosion in popularity of their iPhones and iPads, which have yet to support Flash and likely never will. Those devices that do run Flash don’t run them very well, and it’s generally been decided that Flash might be losing it’s favor with developers who design rich Internet experiences. It’s become clear that HTML5 is replacing Flash, even in places previously thought improbable, like on Pandora Internet Radio, which is rolling out an new all-HTML5 interface to replace its old Flash-based site. If Pandora is doing it, everyone else can.

This briefly brings me to our own site, lotuspc.net. From day one — that is, in 2007 — we vowed not to use Flash because we saw it’s eventual end coming. It’s nowhere near yet, but we have used newer, leaner, and more compatible technologies from the start like plain HTML, JavaScript, and more recently (and extensively) jQuery to create an intuitive and great looking user experience on our website. While we don’t yet use HTML5, we are using technologies that give the same experience that is most importantly, Flash-less.

So what will Adobe do? They won’t kill Flash because after all, it’s quite useful when used effectively. The key is for them to make it faster and more accessible outside the browser, like as native apps in smartphones and tablets. It’s a great platform because by creating in Flash for one platform, a developer can launch the same app with minimal changes on multiple phones, tablets, and even desktop and notebook computers with Adobe Air.

I think the important thing though, is to totally rethink Flash. With the world moving toward web-based, cloud-driven apps, there is no place for Flash in its present form. Flash should become an authoring program, like Adobe’s own Dreamweaver, but more for rich user experiences than raw code. It should focus on giving developers easy access to animations and complex application systems based on lightweight technologies like HTML5 and jQuery. It would even be interesting to see native apps based on these new web standards running on Windows and Linux desktops and laptops. With things moving in the web-based direction, it seems like a natural move.

-Karel