[Interest] Modern

Fri Dec 21 23:37:03 CET 2018

Hello Nuno,

I don't develop apps. I choose to write software which saves and 
enhances life rather than contributing to the taking of it.

For embedded systems I use Qt widgets.

On OpenVMS I use FMS because nothing is better on the platform. Yeah, 
you've never heard of OpenVMS. The operating system running the largest 
number of critical systems in the world. Nuclear power plant control 
systems, defense systems, banks, stock exchanges, even Amazon uses 
OpenVMS. If your computer has an Intel processor there is a rather 
significant chance OpenVMS made that for you as well. (One of the 
reasons the platform is now being ported to 64-bit x86.) A certain 
brewer of really dark beer from Ireland famous for recording world 
records also uses it. If you have interest you can read up on OpenVMS here:

https://www.informationweek.com/vms-operating-system-is-30-years-old-customers-believe-it-can-last-forever/d/d-id/1061051

I haven't written anything on Big Blue since MVS became OS/Z, but even 
then it is CICS. Yes, there are Web things which feed into them, but, 
all of the main screens for control, access, entry are still green, even 
today. That's why you see so many terminal emulators (complete, widget 
and library). By-the-by, virtually everything claiming to be VT-100 on 
Linux isn't even close. Just log into an OpenVMS system (where VT-100 
was created) and try to edit a file with EDT.

Professionally, I don't see myself ever writing an app. It's a market 
which is literally in its death throws. One has to ask themselves just 
how often Inc. Magazine and ZDNET agree on anything.

Global smartphone sales fell by 6 percent last quarter
https://www.engadget.com/2018/11/02/global-smartphone-sales-decline-6-percent/

https://www.inc.com/magazine/201802/amy-webb/forget-smartphones-augmented-reality.html
https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-death-of-the-smartphone-is-closer-than-you-think-heres-what-comes-next/

Adding insult to injury flip and stick phone sales are both growing and 
becoming trendy.

https://theoutline.com/post/4186/flip-phone-revival-trend
Warren Buffett still uses a flip phone. Kim Kardashian was spotted with 
a pink flip phone earlier this month.
https://www.wpr.org/flip-phones-candy-bar-phones-seeing-resurgence-smartphone-alternative
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/move-over-iphone-x-some-people-prefer-an-old-fashioned-flip-phone-2017-09-12

Whether one likes the Kardashians or not, if they are pushing it as the 
new trend it will spider out into the Millenial market.

The final blow is that governments and lawyers are looking to prosecute 
developers under the GDPR for privacy violations. Few believed GDPR 
would pass, but it is reality now. There is now an international push to 
hold both smartphone manufacturers and app developers criminally 
responsible for deaths attributed to their products. Some of the push is 
being fueled by videos cobbled together from security/dash camera 
footage of smartphone users so engrossed with what is on their screen 
they get killed.

https://youtu.be/Z_sAY_BHPNI

You may notice the trailer isn't in English. Odd that China, the country 
where Apple makes it's iPhones, is rumored to be one of the countries 
behind the push for a global liability law on the matter. China has had 
to open a phone lane to try and protect its citizens.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/sep/15/china-mobile-phone-lane-distracted-walking-pedestrians

Parts of the U.S. are currently fining people for texting and walking on 
city streets.

https://www.imore.com/starts-fine-people-texting-walking-city-streets

and they aren't the only country.

https://kotaku.com/taipei-to-fine-people-glued-to-smartphones-while-crossi-1571765581

While the tech industry is busy talking about holding developers liable 
for security breaches

https://techbeacon.com/software-security-liability-coming-are-your-engineers-ready

The lawyers are discussing prosecution for adverse outcomes.

https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/healthlaw/08_the_revolution_will_be_worn_on_your_wrist_part2_02.authcheckdam.pdf

That's a long read for non-lawyers like myself. They start the 
discussion around page 24, initially talking about the smart phone apps 
which interface to clinical systems and once one reads it a few times it 
is easy to see how they will extend it to be developers of apps people 
are glued to at the moment of death. "Adverse outcomes" don't require a 
clinical or hospital setting.

Right now there is a concerted effort to keep official government 
research from happening on the numbers of people killed by smartphones. 
Eventually the lobbyists and all of those campaign contributions from 
smartphone manufacturers won't be able to suppress it. Why? Reuters, 
Bloomberg and other news outlets read by Wall Street have started doing 
their own research.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cellphones-driving/talking-to-death-texts-phones-kill-16000-study-idUSTRE68M53K20100923

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-17/smartphones-are-killing-americans-but-nobody-s-counting

Since 2013 smartphones have been killing more teens annually than 
drinking and driving.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/05/09/study-texting-and-driving-kills-more-teens-annually-than-drinking-and-driving/

Here's some fun stats.

https://www.teensafe.com/distracted-driving/100-distracted-driving-facts-and-statistics-2018/

So, no, I don't care what seems cool and trendy in the app world. That 
market niche has the lifespan of a fruit fly and now it is about to have 
__unlimited__ liability. Those "hold harmless" clauses app developers 
may or may not have in their "user agreement" had best be printed on 
Charmin so they can at least be used for something. Adding insult to 
injury, the smartphone app market will have completely evaporated when 
the criminal and liability cases start making their way to trial so 
there won't be a revenue stream to fund a defense.

Glad I never went down that path.

On 12/20/2018 8:23 AM, Nuno Santos wrote:
> Hey Roland,
>
> Sorry mate.. I couldn’t avoid...
>
> How are you writing UIs this days? What is modern to you?
>
> I consider myself young. I’m only 36. But I have been writing software for the last 20 years.
>
> In the last 6 years I have written 4 different apps ALONE! One of them was written 3 times. One in native iOS, then in native Android and then in Qt Qml.
>
> Qml is by far the BEST way I have ever used to write a UI!
>
> UI code is glue, glue, glue. Every single other framework requires so much code to do exactly the same things as with Qml.
>
> Qt/Qml allowed me to advance at least 5x faster than any other UI framework.
>
> Is perfect? Nothing is perfect! There is are always pros/cons.
>
> Any way... for me, Qml in terms of UI writing is so modern that stands that easily stands from any other technology around.
>
> I want to express my gratitude to the WHOLE Qt team to make it possible! You guys rock! Qt Quick is definitely one of the best things around there.
>
> Best regards,
>
> --
> Nuno Santos
> Founder / CEO / CTO
> www.imaginando.pt
>
-- 
Roland Hughes, President
Logikal Solutions
(630) 205-1593

http://www.theminimumyouneedtoknow.com
http://www.infiniteexposure.net
http://www.johnsmith-book.com
http://www.logikalblog.com
http://www.interestingauthors.com/blog
http://lesedi.us