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AT&T to Discontinue 'Facebook Phone' HTC First?

A lot of people here are bringing up cons about Facebook, but from the business side of things, what are the competitive disadvantages of Facebook?
How could any social media startup challenge the big dog?
 
Renzatic said:
You don't know what a fork actually is, do you?
Click to expand...

The definition I go by is pretty much like the one in Wikipedia:

"In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software."

That's the industry standard definition. Is there some other Google-twisted meaning?
Maybe you could enlighten us. Define the following:

1. The Amazon fork of Android.

2. The inevitable Samsung fork of Android (which will become the de facto standard fork.)

3. The inevitable Motoroogle fork of Android (which Google will ship in response to 2.)

We're waiting. Please let us know.

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Dr McKay said:
It's a launcher, nothing else. It's a skin for Android.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification there.
But yeah, if that's the best that Facebook can do, then shame on HTC.
What a bunch of suckers.
 
I heard it's a pretty good deal if you just take Facebook Home off and use it with stock android.
 
SockRolid said:
The definition I go by is pretty much like the one in Wikipedia:

"In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software."

That's the industry standard definition. Is there some other Google-twisted meaning?
Maybe you could enlighten us. Define the following:

1. The Amazon fork of Android.

2. The inevitable Samsung fork of Android (which will become the de facto standard fork.)

3. The inevitable Motoroogle fork of Android (which Google will ship in response to 2.)

We're waiting. Please let us know.
Click to expand...

We at least know you have the ability to look up definitions on the internet.

The reason I asked is because Facebook Home isn't a fork of Android at all, yet you seem to think it is due to your "oh well, one less blah blah blah" comment. FH is really nothing more than a glorified app running on top of stock Android.

So far, the only true fork of Android is Amazon's rev for their Kindle Fire tablets.
 
mtrctyjoe said:
My teenage daughter and ALL of her friends have not touched Facebook in well over a year ... Facebook - at least in the U.S. - has jumped the shark. I doubt that this "flop" is a surprise to anyone.... at least anyone who follows tech trends closely.
Click to expand...
Yup, based on a huge sample size of your daughter and her friends, that's the only completely factual conclusion that can be drawn.

Sharks, dinosaurs, or even dinosaurs riding sharks aside, there's still no generic stigma on Facebook and it is still used by people of all ages, and TONS of them.

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maxosx said:
There's a litany of reasons, such as, but not limited to:

Troubles in Relationships
A False Sense of Connection
Cyber-bullying
Decreased Productivity
Reduced Privacy
Scams
Bad for Health


http://www.businessinsider.com/10-reasons-to-delete-your-facebook-account-2010-5
Click to expand...
Sounds like TV, or even reading, or really many things in life if someone was to take them too far. A normal person who doesn't go nuts will not run into any more of that kind of stuff than they would without Facebook in their life. If it makes it easier for people to run into those "issues", then really the underlying "issue" is more with the people than anything else.
 
C DM said:
Yup, based on a huge sample size of your daughter and her friends, that's the only completely factual conclusion that can be drawn.

Sharks, dinosaurs, or even dinosaurs riding sharks aside, there's still no generic stigma on Facebook and it is still used by people of all ages, and TONS of them.

----------

Sounds like TV, or even reading, or really many things in life if someone was to take them too far. A normal person who doesn't go nuts will not run into any more of that kind of stuff than they would without Facebook in their life. If it makes it easier for people to run into those "issues", then really the underlying "issue" is more with the people than anything else.
Click to expand...

Exactly what i was thinking.

The main things to focus on are competitive disadvantages, people should be talking about problems with the actual website.
 
Renzatic said:
We at least know you have the ability to look up definitions on the internet.

The reason I asked is because Facebook Home isn't a fork of Android at all, yet you seem to think it is due to your "oh well, one less blah blah blah" comment. FH is really nothing more than a glorified app running on top of stock Android.

So far, the only true fork of Android is Amazon's rev for their Kindle Fire tablets.
Click to expand...

So let's see here. Facebook Home covers up the Android UI, hides the home screen, hides the app folders, and always appears when the HTC First is powered on. Oh, and it also hides all widgets that fandroids seem to think are so important. It replaces the "stock" Android UI, and it's not just a skin.

Let me repeat the Wikipedia definition of "fork," which you don't seem to be able to dispute:

"In software engineering, a project fork happens when developers take a copy of source code from one software package and start independent development on it, creating a distinct piece of software."

FB Home seems pretty distinct from vanilla Android, if there is such a thing any more.

Of course, I'm sure you can get yourself a Wikipedia account and attempt to update that definition if it somehow doesn't fit your agenda. It's free. Knock yourself out.
 
SockRolid said:
Of course, I'm sure you can get yourself a Wikipedia account and attempt to update that definition if it somehow doesn't fit your agenda. It's free. Knock yourself out.
Click to expand...

Agenda? What agenda do I have? Am I a part of the secret Facebook infiltration FUD squad, sent to guide the teeming, ignorant masses towards glory of the light of Zuckerberg?

...or am I just an Apple Hating Fandroid on Samsung's payroll? Derp.

And no, Facebook Home isn't a fork. It's a glorified app that runs on top of what's pretty much good ole regular stock Android. On the HTC First at least, you can turn it off and use it in much the same way you can on any other Android phone. Sure, it's got a fancy new home screen, but the underlying code within the OS itself is relatively untouched.
 
Reach9 said:
And what are the downsides of Facebook, apart from privacy? Just curious.
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Right now I would say the main annoyance is all the ads from places that you would probably never go near if they had a storefront. They're always right there in your damn news feed and you can't possibly hide all the pages. That stupid Clash of Clans game -- aka Homer Simpson with a mustache -- is all over the place.

If it was mostly Coke, Home Depot, Microsoft, etc. advertising on there with ads designed by people with at least a middle school education, I would be fine with it. Instead, it's a lot of unedited horse manure that looks like it was created by a 9-year-old.
 
HVDynamo said:
Hahahaha, no. I don't like them at all. They get in the way. Here's an idea, maybe include an option to have them or not. What ever happened to the days of options allowing you to customize your experience.
Click to expand...

how does it get in the way. It's better for me to have a one click access with a small window to type like a sentence than to complete change apps to type and change apps back again.
 
Dammit Cubs said:
how does it get in the way. It's better for me to have a one click access with a small window to type like a sentence than to complete change apps to type and change apps back again.
Click to expand...

They cover part of the content. I think they are intrusive. I don't have any problem with a few extra taps, and at least in my case I don't have to change apps to reply, just tap the chat icon in the upper middle with a nice notification (like it used to be) and the messages are right there. This disagreement is all the more support for why they just need the option to turn them off. Then people who like them like you can use them and I can turn the intrusive little bastards off.
 
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