Former Windows 95 Architect Now Developing for iPhone (PhotoShare)

[MacRumors]

Cult of Mac reports on the latest efforts by Satoshi Nakajima, the former lead architect of Microsoft's Windows 95. Two years ago, My Nakajima picked up a Mac and apparently, couldn't be happier. According to the the author, "He was so impressed, he says hell never touch a PC again."

Based on this enthusiasm, Nakajima has since started a company in April called Big Canvas with plans to develop for Apple's iPhone platform full time. Their first product called PhotoShare [free, App Store] was released at the App Store launch.

PhotoShare is a free photo sharing service that allows you to share photos you've taken on your iPhone in real time to your friends and family. The service is reminiscent of Twitter, except instead of sending text messages, you are sending captioned photos of your life events. Nakajima explains further in his blog:As you can see, the behavior is very different from blogging or flickering. They post pictures very often (sometime several posts in an hour), expecting viewers to see them in sequence and respond to them in real-time.

This behavior is much more like Twitter-style behavior, which I call, "real-time life-logging" or "live photo-casting". Everybody has their own unique life experience, and applications like PhotoShare allows users to share those experiences in real-time.

I think this is the beginning of true "always-connected" life-style, which people in this industry have been talking about several years but was not be able to achieve. Apple came into this wireless market in 2007, and suddenly became the leader by enabling this new life-style with iPhone and App Store.A video tutorial of the application is also available from Big Canvas's website. Images uploaded from your iPhone can later be a managed at BCPhotoShare.com.

Article Link: Former Windows 95 Architect Now Developing for iPhone (PhotoShare)

 

[DMann]

This says volumes about MS's employees' true opinion of the quality of MS's products, software, design, and continuous lack of innovation.

 

[macdork92]

Once you go mac you never go back 😀

 

[CoreWeb]

After constructing Windows 95, I can understand why he couldn't be happier with Mac & iPhone.

I think that Windows 95, and all Windows OSs since, have suffered from a significant lack of organizational structure. Mac OS X, on the other hand, has superb structure (as far as I can tell).

One example of this organizational structure can be found by simply opening Finder. Go to the root of your hard drive, and take a look. A few, main, folders are present.

There's System, which has basic, system-wide frameworks and components. These frameworks are very low-level, for sound, etc. They are frameworks provided with the operating system.

There's Library, which has less-basic, system-wide frameworks and settings, different from the ones in System in that they all tend to be created/modified by the user, yet apply to the entire system.

Look under your user home folder. There is, again, a folder called Library, and its contents do exactly the same things as the other Library folder except that it applies ONLY to you, not any other users of the machine.


Windows, on the other hand, is anything but organized. The Windows folder, and System32 folder, are filled with DLLs (pieces of programs). These DLLs may belong to one program, all programs, or the operating system itself. No telling. Programmers sometimes refer to this mess as DLL Hell (especially since these DLLs are often inadvertently overwritten with older or newer, incompatible, versions).


Besides making for a much more stable base upon which to build an operating system, the organizational structure also allows for neat features such as Archive & Install. Archive & Install works by renaming the System folder to something like "Old System", and then creating a new System folder with the new operating system. It would also, then, update the Applications folder, but that would be about it.

If Windows attempted the same thing, all of the DLLs upon which many installed programs rely would be removed, as they would be in the Windows or System32 folders which would be backed up and replaced; the new versions would be incompatible, or much more likely, nonexistent.


This is why Mac OS X is a better OS than Windows. Programs like Windows (for operating systems are merely very advanced programs) cannot survive. I know. I've written such spaghetti-systems before, and it quickly becomes unmaintainable, unmanageable.

Microsoft's strategy is to attempt to rewrite Windows piece-by-piece, but each rewritten piece causes large incompatibilities, and a great deal of pain for developers and end-users. The smart solution would be more painful in the short term, but much more beneficial in the long term: to make a new, optimal, operating system, to add a compatibility layer for the current operating system, and to begin a transition period.

In the meantime, they can't truly innovate. Apple, meanwhile, having a very well put-together OS (and becoming more refined and perfected with Snow Leopard), is and will be in a perfect position to do absolutely anything they want with their operating system.

Let's hope they don't mess it up.

 

[jmadlena]

...
In the meantime, they can't truly innovate. Apple, meanwhile, having a very well put-together OS (and becoming more refined and perfected with Snow Leopard), is and will be in a perfect position to do absolutely anything they want with their operating system.

Let's hope they don't mess it up.

QFT. I wish Windows 7 was actually just Windows Singularity. Let's hope Microsoft takes the Snow Leopard approach (don't promise anything, and really deliver) with Windows 7, not another Vista style promise.

 

[wheelhot]

Rock on!

Oh yeah by the way, I dont think MS will be refining Vista, it will sort of be like another brand new dock and something like that but will it be refined? maybe. Early pictures of Windows 7 show a cover flow like interface except that its arranged in circles.

And it also has an Apple dock like start menu. I remember reading an article where a guy say Steve Jobs will be proud that MS if MS decide to implement a similar dock like interface in Windows 7.

 

[deannnnn]

I used to like Windows 98.... although I was 8 when it came out. I didn't know better =)

 

[bretm]

...I think that Windows 95, and all Windows OSs since, have suffered from a significant lack of organizational structure. Mac OS X, on the other hand, has superb structure (as far as I can tell)...

I'm glad you're happy with the unix operating system and it's file structure. Apple didn't invent it. Perfected it maybe.

 

[Keiichi]

One example of this organizational structure can be found by simply opening Finder. Go to the root of your hard drive, and take a look. A few, main, folders are present.

OSX can't hide that it's Unix/BSD under the hood. By opening Finder you only see what Apple wants you to see there. A quick look in the terminal "ls /" will show you that there is more than you might think there is. Now as a terminal and unix guy I'm glad there is but I'm also glad that there is another level of abstraction with Finder and a neat desktop.

 

[CoreWeb]

OSX can't hide that it's Unix/BSD under the hood. By opening Finder you only see what Apple wants you to see there. A quick look in the terminal "ls /" will show you that there is more than you might think there is. Now as a terminal and unix guy I'm glad there is but I'm also glad that there is another level of abstraction with Finder and a neat desktop.

I'm aware. The folders I listed are, from what I'm aware, OS X specific. The ones visible if you view hidden folders are, as you said, hidden under another level of abstraction.

Which really proves my point, actually.

 

[Sheradon]

Lack of polish

Personnally the software is ..... unpollished...

I'm affraid that some of the bad programming habbits (from Microsoft) have not been forgotten about this:

- First the application is an other rehab of 'like something else' with not much innovation, no new concept.

- Graphics are .... windows 95 like

- Web site is pledge with 404 errors...

Some will say, give it time, but no ! I was a windows users for 20 years before seing the light and I was one of those users who used to accept unfinished work and wait for updates to improve the product.

This software just demonstrate the 'what not to do' for the Iphone.

 

[Stephman]

Seems like you still do accept unfinished work. iPhone 2.0 software feels unfinished with native and app store apps freezing and causing phones to reboot and lock up.

Personnally the software is ..... unpollished...
Some will say, give it time, but no ! I was a windows users for 20 years before seing the light and I was one of those users who used to accept unfinished work and wait for updates to improve the product.

This software just demonstrate the 'what not to do' for the Iphone.

 

[Sheradon]

Seems like you still do accept unfinished work. iPhone 2.0 software feels unfinished with native and app store apps freezing and causing phones to reboot and lock up.

Hummm.. had not experience any of that yet.

But to let you know, i'm not demanding perfection, just quality work.

 

[DMann]

Hummm.. had not experience any of that yet.

But to let you know, i'm not demanding perfection, just quality work.

Let it also be known that there is an enormous distinction between quality work needing polish, and products of substandard quality which strive to reach a minimum level of mediocrity.

 

[Stephman]

Hummm.. had not experience any of that yet.

But to let you know, i'm not demanding perfection, just quality work.

I agree with you about quality work.
I am enjoying my new iPhone, it's just hard for me at the moment to say the latest default apps and app store apps are quality. With the problems others are having with theirs and mine as well, and I've already had to get mine replaced. It just leaves a rancid taste in my mouth.
I'm a software developer myself, so I understand bugs get out there. I came from WM phones, specifically AT&T Tilt. I was excited to move to the Apple platform and thought the grass was going to be WAY greener than it has been for me since the 11th.
I know given time, Apple and other developers will significantly reduce these errors/lock ups I've been experiencing. It's just a tough wait in the meantime, with this being my only phone and not knowing if I surf with Safari will be phone lock up/reboot/freeze on me causing me to make another trip to the Apple store because my iTunes can't connect to the phone to restore it.
Hurry up Apple and get this 2.01 update out!

 

[DMann]

It's just a tough wait in the meantime, with this being my only phone and not knowing if I surf with Safari will be phone lock up/reboot/freeze on me causing me to make another trip to the Apple store because my iTunes can't connect to the phone to restore it.
Hurry up Apple and get this 2.01 update out!

2.01 is likely an imminent release. Until then, if ever you have trouble connecting the iPhone to iTunes for recovery, holding the power button and home key will work, but only after allowing three startup cycles. While connected to iTunes, hold down the power button and home key. The startup screen will appear, and nothing will happen. After 30 seconds or so, it will startup again, and again, the startup screen will remain -- keep holding --The third time the phone starts-up, you will see the iTunes restore icon. If you do not allow it to cycle three times, then it will remain suspended on the startup screen. 9.9 out of 10 times, this will save a trip to the Apple Store.

 

[winterspan]

After constructing Windows 95, I can understand why he couldn't be happier with Mac & iPhone.

I think that Windows 95, and all Windows OSs since, have suffered from a significant lack of organizational structure. Mac OS X, on the other hand, has superb structure (as far as I can tell).

One example of this organizational structure can be found by simply opening Finder. Go to the root of your hard drive, and take a look. A few, main, folders are present.

There's System, which has basic, system-wide frameworks and components. These frameworks are very low-level, for sound, etc. They are frameworks provided with the operating system.

There's Library, which has less-basic, system-wide frameworks and settings, different from the ones in System in that they all tend to be created/modified by the user, yet apply to the entire system.

Look under your user home folder. There is, again, a folder called Library, and its contents do exactly the same things as the other Library folder except that it applies ONLY to you, not any other users of the machine.


Windows, on the other hand, is anything but organized. The Windows folder, and System32 folder, are filled with DLLs (pieces of programs). These DLLs may belong to one program, all programs, or the operating system itself. No telling. Programmers sometimes refer to this mess as DLL Hell (especially since these DLLs are often inadvertently overwritten with older or newer, incompatible, versions).


Besides making for a much more stable base upon which to build an operating system, the organizational structure also allows for neat features such as Archive & Install. Archive & Install works by renaming the System folder to something like "Old System", and then creating a new System folder with the new operating system. It would also, then, update the Applications folder, but that would be about it.

If Windows attempted the same thing, all of the DLLs upon which many installed programs rely would be removed, as they would be in the Windows or System32 folders which would be backed up and replaced; the new versions would be incompatible, or much more likely, nonexistent.


This is why Mac OS X is a better OS than Windows. Programs like Windows (for operating systems are merely very advanced programs) cannot survive. I know. I've written such spaghetti-systems before, and it quickly becomes unmaintainable, unmanageable.

Microsoft's strategy is to attempt to rewrite Windows piece-by-piece, but each rewritten piece causes large incompatibilities, and a great deal of pain for developers and end-users. The smart solution would be more painful in the short term, but much more beneficial in the long term: to make a new, optimal, operating system, to add a compatibility layer for the current operating system, and to begin a transition period.

In the meantime, they can't truly innovate. Apple, meanwhile, having a very well put-together OS (and becoming more refined and perfected with Snow Leopard), is and will be in a perfect position to do absolutely anything they want with their operating system.

Let's hope they don't mess it up.

The Windows vs OSX architecture debate over which is better is significantly more complex than file organization. OSX is indeed an excellent system, and Apple has created a significant array of higher-level frameworks and APIs, but most of the file-system level organization is NOT an Apple creation, and is simply a product of it's *nix roots. Not to mention what you see in finder is a subset of what actually exists.

I'm not an expert on operating system, but I agree that Apple has done a fine job bolstering OSX, especially now with Leopard. Snow Leopard will no doubt be an invaluable stepping stone to the massively parallel era, but I wouldn't be so quick to count out Microsoft.

Although they have certainly stumbled along for the past 5 years with their Windows development, and their Vista release was a mess, I'm sure they are working feverishly to to have a good release for Windows 7. Also, they have really been able to buildup the .NET platform in that time, and it will no doubt server as a stepping stone to the next-generation of OS development.

You also have to remember how much money they have, and the resources that can be bought with that kind of money. They have thousands of very intelligent engineers working for them, and their research divisions are working on all kinds of next-generation projects and systems. I'm unsure of why they seem to have so many problems, but I assume a lot of it is related to business factors, and NOT technical factors. It seems like if you could get the idiotic managers and salesmen out of the ***** way, the technical leaders could make some excellent products.

Either way, it'll be interesting to watch the battle develop...

 

[DMann]

Although they have certainly stumbled along for the past 5 years with their Windows development, and their Vista release was a mess, I'm sure they are working feverishly to to have a good release for Windows 7. Also, they have really been able to buildup the .NET platform in that time, and it will no doubt server as a stepping stone to the next-generation of OS development.

You also have to remember how much money they have, and the resources that can be bought with that kind of money. They have thousands of very intelligent engineers working for them, and their research divisions are working on all kinds of next-generation projects and systems. I'm unsure of why they seem to have so many problems, but I assume a lot of it is related to business factors, and NOT technical factors. It seems like if you could get the idiotic managers and salesmen out of the ***** way, the technical leaders could make some excellent products.

IF only you knew the extent of departmental fragmentation and lack of cohesion amongst divisions and departments within this company, you would begin to understand more clearly why they have been, and why they will continue to have difficulty pulling anything together with any modicum of integrity. With Ballmer at the helm, do not expect any groundbreaking innovations to emerge from this asylum. Marketing, advertising, and Google have become their top priorities, and as far as products and services are concerned, 'good enough' shall forever remain their highest of aspirations and standards.

 

[kevingaffney]

Love iphone

I'm a graphic designer/printer/sign maker for 25 years now. I've used macs and pc's and to be honest there is little or no difference, I've actually managed to make a decent living from both. I have to say that having used mobile phones from their early days, the 3g iphone is remarkable.