Do developers really need a touch screen?
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Well, I don't have one. But ... After I bought the WookieTab and got used to using it as a Win10 Pad, I found myself getting frustrated that my desktop screen didn't respond when I tapped it... I could see a touchscreen dev machine being really pretty useful, but not essential. I suspect that (just like dual monitors) once you were used to it, it would really slow you down to go without.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay... AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Not until programming becomes as simple as pointing and clicking. At which time devs will make up about 2,000 fancy acronyms for left click and right click so we can still sound important in meetings.
Jeremy Falcon
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The way I see it, the best testing is done on the actual system the user is using, whereas emulators are best used for prototyping and debugging. I've had many problems only occurred when it was run on the actual system.
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Nobody really does. That will find it's way to the top of the truth heap in time.
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Nope.
Windows Apps - Sound Meter | Color Analyzer | Wallpaper Selector | Football Doodles
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Most touch applications are developed using an emulator. The "touch" test is generally conducted on a real phone or pad. Are there any good reasons that developers need a touch screen dev box?
TOMZ_KV
My newest laptop has a touchscreen. The only time I've ever used it was when developing a web application for POS terminals, and a few times since when demoing the same application at trade shows. Honestly, I'd like to find an easy way to disable it as I have a colleague who has problems with depth perception and will occasionally tap the screen accidently! :)
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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Jeremy Falcon wrote:
Not until programming becomes as simple as pointing and clicking
The day may come sooner than we expect.
TOMZ_KV
True that.
Jeremy Falcon
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My newest laptop has a touchscreen. The only time I've ever used it was when developing a web application for POS terminals, and a few times since when demoing the same application at trade shows. Honestly, I'd like to find an easy way to disable it as I have a colleague who has problems with depth perception and will occasionally tap the screen accidently! :)
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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Most touch applications are developed using an emulator. The "touch" test is generally conducted on a real phone or pad. Are there any good reasons that developers need a touch screen dev box?
TOMZ_KV
I have no use for one. It's (much) easier for me to use a mouse to click than tap on the screen. Same for Ctrl/Mousewheel vs. pinch to zoom. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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Most touch applications are developed using an emulator. The "touch" test is generally conducted on a real phone or pad. Are there any good reasons that developers need a touch screen dev box?
TOMZ_KV
:suss: I had a touchscreen for development back in the late '80s. :cool: :omg: What took y'all so long? :wtf:
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I have no use for one. It's (much) easier for me to use a mouse to click than tap on the screen. Same for Ctrl/Mousewheel vs. pinch to zoom. /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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:suss: I had a touchscreen for development back in the late '80s. :cool: :omg: What took y'all so long? :wtf:
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:thumbsup: /ravi
My new year resolution: 2048 x 1536 Home | Articles | My .NET bits | Freeware ravib(at)ravib(dot)com
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MacSpudster wrote:
I had a touchscreen for development back in the late '80s.
Must be very expensive then.
TOMZ_KV
$400 for a 9" touchscreen for the then Mac Classic/Classic II. $815 in today's dollars ~ CPI Inflation Calculator[^]
The first person that replies to this comment gets $200. (Well, actually, anyone can get "$200" via copy/paste... :laugh: )
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$400 for a 9" touchscreen for the then Mac Classic/Classic II. $815 in today's dollars ~ CPI Inflation Calculator[^]
The first person that replies to this comment gets $200. (Well, actually, anyone can get "$200" via copy/paste... :laugh: )
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Most touch applications are developed using an emulator. The "touch" test is generally conducted on a real phone or pad. Are there any good reasons that developers need a touch screen dev box?
TOMZ_KV
Tomz_KV wrote:
Are there any good reasons that developers need a touch screen dev box?
Absolutely yes. I've been developing touch-screen apps since 2000, which obviously predates smartphones. I've used far too many phone apps that fail basic touch usability metrics: - Touch targets are too small - Targets are placed too closely together - Icons that indicate a target don't accurately delineate the target area - Text used as a touch target (finger obscures needed information, plus text is weak for positioning cues) - Target layout without regard to tasks I attribute a lot of this to the use of emulators and the mouse in place of testing on real devices with real fingers. I know a lot of app developers can't afford to buy several devices for testing purposes, but they could at least test on a representative of each class of device: small screen smartphone, large screen smartphone, small tablet (7"), large tablet (10"), laptop. For example: one of the apps I use on my phone every day requires that I rotate my index finger 90° in order to hit one target at the edge of the screen. A normal finger press does not work. A mouse is a high-precision pointing device. A finger is not.
Software Zen:
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No. They require shutting down the system to clean the screen.
Jochen Arndt wrote:
They require shutting down the system to clean the screen.
Not so. My touch-screen apps include a "clean" operation. It opens a full-screen window that displays a 30 second countdown and ignores mouse clicks (our touch screen hardware simulates a mouse).
Software Zen:
delete this; -
Tomz_KV wrote:
Are there any good reasons that developers need a touch screen dev box?
Absolutely yes. I've been developing touch-screen apps since 2000, which obviously predates smartphones. I've used far too many phone apps that fail basic touch usability metrics: - Touch targets are too small - Targets are placed too closely together - Icons that indicate a target don't accurately delineate the target area - Text used as a touch target (finger obscures needed information, plus text is weak for positioning cues) - Target layout without regard to tasks I attribute a lot of this to the use of emulators and the mouse in place of testing on real devices with real fingers. I know a lot of app developers can't afford to buy several devices for testing purposes, but they could at least test on a representative of each class of device: small screen smartphone, large screen smartphone, small tablet (7"), large tablet (10"), laptop. For example: one of the apps I use on my phone every day requires that I rotate my index finger 90° in order to hit one target at the edge of the screen. A normal finger press does not work. A mouse is a high-precision pointing device. A finger is not.
Software Zen:
delete this; -
If you need to write software for the iPhone X, then yes, I'd recommend getting one. Most people reacting here in this thread are reacting before they read the entire question. ..if you don't need to write software for it, then the question would be simple; are you worth that iPhone X?
Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
