[jacobian]

That, my friends, is what's called "missing the forest for the trees." Yes, every single one of my question has an easy answer. Yup, just need to install this app or activate this hidden preference or tweak my Xorg.conf, or learn to live with the problem...

Using this device is like the death of a thousand cuts. None are even remotely fatal, but over time there's just a mounting list of little annoyances. Everything's 95%; nothing Just Works. I stopped using Linux on the desktop because I didn't want to have to be a sysadmin on my personal hardware; having to monkey with my phone is even less my idea of a good time.

My iPhone bit the dust, so I've been using a G1 that Google graciously gave me for free. I really want to like it! After just a couple days with it, though, I'm nearly ready to plunk down cash for a new iPhone. Google's seriously got a problem if they can't even get me to use their platform at the price free (actually, I'll save $200 if I stick with Android, so it's even worse).

[jrockway]

I can do the "death by a thousand cuts" thing to the iPhone just as easily as you can do it to Android. Every user has different priorities.

(You also mentioned Xorg.conf. I have not had one of those for years.)

[dcurtis]

The flaws in the iPhone are almost always made to improve the user experience. The flaws in Android seem to be made out of incompetence.

[jacobian]

Ah, so if the iPhone is flawed that makes all of Android's flaws go away. Finally, I understand! Thanks!

[jrockway]

Actually, yes. There's a limit to what a $200 phone can do. If nobody has The Ideal Device, you will have to choose an approximation. How those approximations are flawed vary between devices.

[avinashv]

> I stopped using Linux on the desktop because I didn't want to have to be a sysadmin on my personal hardware.

When did you stop using Linux? I have had either a laptop or desktop with Linux installed (Ubuntu, Gentoo and DSL) since 2003/4 and spend just as much time customizing it as my Mac or Windows installations. I actually save time in the long run, because of the magic of apt-get.

Everbody gives this logic, but I've installed Linux on plenty for non-techies, and they have no problems--at least, not more than they would have had.

(One of my laptops, for the life of me, would not hook up to an external monitor. That's it.)

[gonzo]

My 3G got stolen (out of my home). I have an ADP1, which I carried in France for 2 months this summer. (The ADP1 comes unlocked, so it was simple to get an Orange "Pay-as-you-Go" SIM and install it.

So I carried and used the ADP1 every day for two months (plus about a month during late March/early April before I switched back to my iPhone 2G with a cracked screen.)

yes, the ADP1 is running (the official) cupcake release.

Within 24 hours of arriving back home, I went out an bought an iPhone 3GS.

The usability of the combination of Android+HTC's Dream is pure crap. Its functional, sure, but its not usable.

I too stopped using linux on the desktop (I've converted the company to Apple over the last 2 years.) apt-get can screw you, too.

We do use linux on two production webservers, and we ship a ton (no really, at least 2,000 lbs) of FreeBSD on various hardware every month.