PureBasic Forums - English

DarkDragon wrote:I'm wondering, why this is also called surface .. it will be complicated to distinguish between surface (table) an surface (tablet) as most even don't know the table.

That's just it, the table version has very limited exposure so you might as well use the name for something that will be much more widely known.

No if only Microsoft can show some self restraint and price it very competitively...

MachineCode wrote:If little smartphones and small tablets were going to replace the desktop PC, they would have years ago, when the Psion and Pocket PC (etc) existed. All those products failed for a reason. History has spoken. The desktop PC is 100% safe.

Not really, the desktop PC *was* dominant, then came the portable which took a slice, then the laptop which took another slice, then the netbook, the tablet, the smartphone, the satnav, the digital picture frame, the games console (home multi-media solution).

The desktop PC is becoming a niche market as far as the vast majority of the population is concerned - which means it's going to start getting really expensive.

Thorium wrote:

TI-994A wrote:...this is the first time they are actually manufacturing their own computer.

It isnt. They made the XBox. ^^

I always thought that the Xbox was a game console.

TI-994A wrote:

Thorium wrote:

TI-994A wrote:...this is the first time they are actually manufacturing their own computer.

It isnt. They made the XBox. ^^

I always thought that the Xbox was a game console.

I allways thought the surface was a tablet.

They are both computers.

IdeasVacuum wrote:

So, we only need desktops because we want to upgrade.

...and because we want 8 hard drives and 2 optical drives, which would make a laptop too heavy and too hot............

Perhaps, but we want them in a home server, don't we?

Thorium wrote:

TI-994A wrote:I always thought that the Xbox was a game console.

I allways thought the surface was a tablet. They are both computers.

A tablet is a computer, as are desktops, laptops, and even smartphones. The Xbox, on the other hand, is a purpose-built game console.

By your definition, this refrigerator should be a computer!

The Xbox, on the other hand, is a purpose-built game console

'Game Console' is the generic name of a purpose-built computer, just as 'Smart Phone' is the generic name of a purpose-built computer.

IdeasVacuum wrote:'Game Console' is the generic name of a purpose-built computer, just as 'Smart Phone' is the generic name of a purpose-built computer.

More accurately, "game console" is a generic term for a device that plays video games. Calling it a purpose-built computer just because they consist of similar components would be the same as calling an air-conditioner a purpose-built refrigerator! The Xbox is not a computer; it's a game console.

Conversely, smartphones cannot be considered as purpose-built computers because they function as general-purpose computers. By that logic, laptops become purpose-built computers just because they can make video calls.

Conversely, smartphones cannot be considered as purpose-built computers because they function as general-purpose computers

You can use your Smart Phone for a variety of tasks but their main purpose is that of being a phone. They are computers. The Xbox is a computer too - it is pretty much dedicated to games but you can program it for many other purposes as well and of course it has music player and streaming video capability, plus it can connect to Sky and other TV services.

IdeasVacuum wrote:You can use your Smart Phone for a variety of tasks but their main purpose is that of being a phone. They are computers. The Xbox is a computer too - it is pretty much dedicated to games but you can program it for many other purposes as well and of course it has music player and streaming video capability, plus it can connect to Sky and other TV services.

You're right, smartphones are computers, but besides its name, there's no predominant function; it is as much a phone as it is a GPS device, or a camera, or even a media player. And being a computer, this is only limited by its range of available apps.

Again, the Xbox is purely a game console. Although it may have one or two complementary functions, it cannot be directly programmed by users the way computers can; its programming is controlled to maintain its purpose - games.

cannot be directly programmed by users the way computers can

The way you program a computer is irrelevant. I used to make punched-hole cards, the data described by which was transferred to tape.........

IdeasVacuum wrote:The way you program a computer is irrelevant. I used to make punched-hole cards, the data described by which was transferred to tape.........

And I'm assuming that the computer which the tape was ultimately loaded on had a tape reader that accepts and recognises your code. But the Xbox does not accept any such user programming, because it is not such a computer; it is a purpose-built console for playing games. Sure, you could rip the components apart, bypass the certification requirements, and somehow program the "thing", but that would no longer be an Xbox. It was not manufactured to be used as a computer.

it's all a matter of terminology.

the Xbox is a computer, regardless of whether or not you have the tools to program it. What the Xbox is not, which I think is the point you're trying to make, is a PC.
Really, the only thing stopping someone from programming one is software. Given the right software, any of us could program an Xbox; just as any of us could program a smartphone with the right tools.