Software back to basics

[Zweitaktmotor]

I may be a bit old-fashioned, but I feel mobile software has way too much eye candy nowadays.

Why are HTML codes needed in e-mails?
Why can't data collection be done in CSV with a suitable front end?
Why do I need avatars and bubbles in an SMS screen?
Why does a weather app in Android have to be somewhere in the region of 30MB only to show me some pretty clouds? (I know what they usually  look like, thanks!)
And don't get me started on trying to find a simple little time waster game, which is nearly impossible nowadays.

There may be more examples, but my point is: In keeping the software practical and simple, it will make much better use of the Pinephone hardware within its limitations.

Developers, please do not try and compete with Android. Ask yourself what your app and/or OS is supposed to do and concentrate on that. 

[wibble]

I agree with most of that, to some extent at least. Then again the Openmokos could do all the basics you're talking about on a significantly less powerful processor than we'll have in the Pinephone.

I suspect that if markdown had been available at the time html started invading email things might have gone differently, but we are where we are. Still you have the option to default to plain-text views as I do. The html renderer will still be present in library form for the web browser.
If your data needs are trivial CSV may be suitable, but before long something like sqlite will become more efficient.
Avatars and bubbles aren't necessary for SMS, but they don't use much resource and they provide the size and separation required for finger-sized touch interfaces. This was less necessary on the Psion and Openmoko because the resistive touchscreens offered better touch precision. Enlightenment had settings to allow things to scale accordingly so that in mouse-and-keyboard mode you didn't get the extra space that was added for fat-finger mode, or something along those lines.
The weather app needs to be that big to include the data-slurping and advertising libraries, but they still don't show the data that would actually be useful, like showing rain will be patchy but torrential.

[bcnaz]

I may be a bit old-fashioned, but I feel mobile software has way too much eye candy nowadays.

Why are HTML codes needed in e-mails?
Why can't data collection be done in CSV with a suitable front end?
Why do I need avatars and bubbles in an SMS screen?
Why does a weather app in Android have to be somewhere in the region of 30MB only to show me some pretty clouds? (I know what they usually  look like, thanks!)
And don't get me started on trying to find a simple little time waster game, which is nearly impossible nowadays.

There may be more examples, but my point is: In keeping the software practical and simple, it will make much better use of the Pinephone hardware within its limitations.

Developers, please do not try and compete with Android. Ask yourself what your app and/or OS is supposed to do and concentrate on that. 

*
I Agree there is too much 'Eye Candy'
BUT,  I do want my graphic interface.
Please do not ask me to use terminal to make a phone call or reply to a text.
* "IF"  I want a game,  let me pick one and download/install it myself.

THANKS  

[Der Geist der Maschine]

BUT,  I do want my graphic interface.
Please do not ask me to use terminal to make a phone call or reply to a text.

What's wrong with typing

Code:

bash$ call 867-5309

or

Code:

bash$ call bcnaz

[bcnaz]

BUT,  I do want my graphic interface.
Please do not ask me to use terminal to make a phone call or reply to a text.

What's wrong with typing

Code:

bash$ call 867-5309

or

Code:

bash$ call bcnaz

   You left out the part of first opening the terminal window  ?

Then if I fat finger it and have to delete and rewrite some of the digits  ?

Then send or enter...  ?

   

(And in my case, the need for me to find and open my 'Linux for Dummies' instruction book)