What devices do you use or plan to use in the ... - CLL Support
What devices do you use or plan to use in the next year to access the Internet? Your input will help us with the CLLSA website redesign.
Would be interesting to do this again in a years time to see the trends, also compare against general internet users.
Good to see I'm not the only Android Tablet user.
I find it quite daunting from a web site testing point of view how many different targets (and sizes) need testing.
Hope the web site dev is going ok.
Ernest.
ONE size fits all, always use percentages .... set your HTML webpage width to 100% it works on every device, in any orientation. Gone are days of fixed pixel widths... all pages should be 'liquid' the viewing device decides. If you want to limit page width, set CSS max-width property...
When TESCO in the UK can sell a good quality Android tablet for £ 119.00 then it becomes obvious which way most people will want to access the internet and e-mails..
Dick
Looking at the survey so far there are not many TESCO shoppers 
Compare an iPad mini with Retina display to Tesco pad... it is all about a 'no pixel' display... high resolution displays are expensive and to me well worth the extra money... what I spend on Retina, I save on eye strain... 
You also get... iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers and Keynote are now available for free.
That is like Microsoft Office and totally compatible, also a complete design/photo studio, a 32 track recording studio with musicians, and a full professional quality video editing suite...
Add to this a screamingly fast 64 bit A7 processor... well price isn't everything...
If you have Tesco Clubcard use your points, it can drop the price of a Hudl to about £65 a real bargain. The Hudl is fine for internet use and the battery life is decent.
The iPad Mini with Retina display is £319, look for discounts starting tomorrow...according to reports in the Mirror...
The Tesco Hudl is a very new device, only started selling about 2 or 3 weeks ago.
Chris might complain as he is an Apple ipad fan, but when you compare the price of the Tesco Hudl versus an ipad..!!
Dick
Could do with a few more responses here to be 'statisticall' useful. Have not found a good review of hardware used to access the internet but there are some insights.
From the Office of National Statistics
Internet users and non-users
On 20 February 2012, as part of the Internet Access Quarterly Update, ONS reported that 42 million people in Great Britain have used the Internet, representing approximately 85% of the adult population.
Frequency of Internet use
In 2012, 33 million adults in Great Britain used the Internet every day, or almost every day. This represented 68% of those aged 16 and over and was more than double the number of adults (16 million) that used the Internet daily in 2006 (when directly comparable records began). In contrast to the growth in daily Internet use, the number of weekly Internet users has declined since 2006, from 7.4 million (16%) to 5.3 million in 2012 (11%). This demonstrates that as the number of people using the Internet has increased over time, so has the frequency of use. for the figure see.
The full article
ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/in...
General information about browser usage is available, but each community is different so will be running a poll on that in time. Certainly we do need a responsive site to adapt to the latest hardware that is going to be used more and more.
Maybe it's only me but being at home most of the time, having restricted income it will only be when my desk top computer goes toes up (yes, being polite) that I will be looking at alternatives. Why on earth would I buy an additional bit of kit when everything I want to do, I can, in comfort, on my PC with fast cable internet access.
I'm not doing anything important enough for anyone to need to contact me urgently. Those days are over for me, and I can't say I'm sorry. Of those that do have important urgent news, hey ho, I have a telephone, both home and mobile.
Not all of us live on facebook etc, although I have a daughter who does. I refuse to join the must have the latest gizmo set for the sake of it.
Well done you guys/gals who are tech advance savvy, whatever you use to communicate with is fine by me, I'll join you when I have to. For now Windows 7 and I will just carry on. The thought of training my guy to use Ipad fills me with horror.
Bub
Bub, you don't need to keep chasing technology, you'll never catch it up as everything has built in obsolescence. I have a home network with a Vista laptop upstairs (connected to a 19" screen), a wireless printer and a Win7 laptop downstairs which I sometimes use with my large screen TV.
Compared to what I started with on the web 20 years ago (and which you had to build yourself in those days) what I have now is more than sufficient for what I need especially as I am retired.
Thanks Mikey47, nice to know I am not alone. Still using my original laserjet 1100 printer, caused me a bit of a problem when I changed my computer as I had to hunt all over for a connecing device. It's toner lasts for ages, found the new printer I bought ate toner, so went back to it.
Bub
One of the reasons people are likely to move to ipads and similar is thay are very easy to use. This may be in addition to existing hardware but very likely when old hardware dies or becomes unusable with current software - skype become usable! The software to run on old hardware eventually becomes un supported which can be a security risk.
Many people have mentioned they got their Ipad because it is light and easier to use - ideal for siting in a comfortable chair when resting - also with the ablity to enlarge text in a reasonably sized screen helps those whose sight is not what it was without using reading glasses. I find mine useful for both the above reasons - if not already in use by others in the household!!
A responsive site will not exclude the use on the more traditional pc / mac - but it will be useful to know what hardware needs to try and accomodated. The hardware has a big effect on what browsers will work and what functionallity will be available. I could not do something from Chrome (32bit) recently that had worked using other browsers. Had to download chromium (64bit) to get working. Using old software may leave you vunerable to hackers which can be devestating even on a single machine wore still a network ( 100 man days to fix for a minor attack).
There is a lot of good information on CLL available from various facebook groups but much of the information is exchanged on here so not essential to watch.
Myrddin, agree with the 'accessibility' reasons for using iPad. I have access to all manner of technology but I find the iPad superb to use with arthritis in my hands and I can sit comfortably multi-tasking with it in a comfortable chair.
It does mean I'm held hostage to the limitations of Apple at times but I now find using other devices cumbersome.
Newdawn
Curious about the limitations of Apple - please can you expand
Apple are careful to ensure compatability with their software which is why they provide so many tools for building stuff. One of the reasons the applications have a similar look and feel and why they are generally more intuative. Looks like the demise of Adobe Flash is a result of Apple rejecting it on ios 7 . They are focussing on Air and HTML5 - there is a beta version of air that is supposed to be compatible with ios 7 but not checked it out.
Flash has never been support on iOS...
Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs famously bashed Flash for mobile, and refused to allow the technology on the iOS platform. Instead, Jobs fought for the alternative HTML5 standard, which is beginning to replace Flash around the web.
In August 2012, Adobe disabled new installs of Flash via the Google Play Store, marking the end of Adobe Flash on Android devices too.
However, there are a number of Flash browsers now, for iPads... or you can jailbreak ...
I switched to an iPad after RCHOP therapy fried my motor cortex and I lost the ability to type at a keyboard, do up buttons on a shirt or sign my name. I found I could tap on the iPad screen however. On the upside, I also suffered from serious carpal tunnel, and I experience no problems with that on the iPad, in fact the wrist pain has subsided to some extent.
I can't imagine what limitations Apple imposes, other than no malware...
and the occasion Flash movie...
The only problem, I have experienced switching to iOS7, is that iPhoto for iPad, does not convert my photo library... that is because it is approaching 4,000 raw photos, it is simple too many... but Apple is addressing this failing.
I'm so glad you can still take photos, even if you can't type at a keyboard. It must be very hard not to do up buttons, or sign your name.
Opps... didn't mean to imply this was still my situation... Paula...over the past 12 months some function has returned I'm no longer button or signature challenged, but typing is highly frustrating still... the mind to hand connections have been damaged. So, for me a tablet is appropriate and better technology...
Thanks for your quick reply, Chris. It's put my mind at rest, to know that buttons and signatures are now doable for you. But I can certainly see how a tablet is the best device for you. A good thing that they were invented when they were.
It is all about appropriate technology and Accessibility...nothing else comes close... IMHO apple.com/ca/accessibility/...
A very interesting link - specially for those with disabilities - who may not know what is out there, that could help them.
For those needing a bit more power the mac pro looks intersting as well as powerful - 2 gpus - think how much home folding that could do!
While looking at sites for the latest info on ISON just found one where Monzilla browsers seamonkey and firefox were the only ones of the many tested to display the graphics correctly. Unlikely we will need this level of interactivity on the cllsa site though. Ison still keeping us guessing - we will know tonight if it survives it's close pass of the sun.
I see a Slashdotter called the Ison comet the Thanksgiving Comet - all we have is leftovers
Myrddin, the word idiosyncratic might have been more apt to describe Apple than 'limitations' as the limits are probably due to my lack of advanced IT knowledge.
However I do find the iPad IOS operating system limits my use at times because it doesn't support Flash and there are occasions when I simply cannot run links where it's required. More and more YouTube vids direct me away from mobile devices.
Limitations to me simply means I cannot automatically expect to use this and other sites as easily as I could on a pc. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages to me and much to my OH's disapproval at times, I insist on sticking with all things Apple!
Newdawn
Hardware is much more critical than it used to be, since it now tends to dictate what software will be running and more importantly the screen size/orientation. Gone are the days when Internet access was just limited to computers running either Windows or Apple software with similar screen sizes.
While we may not expect to use some specific web technology on the CLLSA website right now, it is much better to plan for it when we build the new website so that we don't limit our options. From my project management experience, I can vouch for the fact that it is much easier to obtain funding for something when there's a project under way, than to try and fund it later. Any additional cost is also generally far less if it is done as part of the project.
As you say Myrddin, we could do with a few more responses here to be 'statistically' useful, but already it is obvious that many of us plan to access the Internet using several devices (Polling to date shows 22 members and 46 devices and I assume some respondents only expect to be using one device).
It is quite amazing how little access is via non-mobile devices too, with desktop computers accounting for just 13% of the means of access. That really surprised me.
Update on Ison on spaceweather.com.
I've been using Mozilla Firefox for 10+ years. Less vulnerable than Explorer, hackers hate Microsoft.
Thanks for your comments and the Ison update Mikey.
Regarding IE and Firefox; someone actually calculated how many days of the year each browser remained vulnerable to known exploits during 2006. Firefox had a huge advantage because any vulnerabilities in that browser were typically patched within a few days or at most a week after they became known. With IE patches generally bundled into Microsoft's monthly 'Patch Tuesday', that greatly increased the period of vulnerability, though Microsoft do occasionally do emergency 'out of band' patches.
voices.washingtonpost.com/s...
"For a total 284 days in 2006 (or more than nine months out of the year), exploit code for known, unpatched critical flaws in pre-IE7 versions of the browser was publicly available on the Internet. Likewise, there were at least 98 days last year in which no software fixes from Microsoft were available to fix IE flaws that criminals were actively using to steal personal and financial data from users.
In a total of ten cases last year (in 2006), instructions detailing how to leverage "critical" vulnerabilities in IE were published online before Microsoft had a patch to fix them.
In contrast, Internet Explorer's closest competitor in terms of market share -- Mozilla's Firefox browser -- experienced a single period lasting just nine days last year (2006) in which exploit code for a serious security hole was posted online before Mozilla shipped a patch to remedy the problem."
It is sobering to realise that these vulnerability periods are only that 'good' if you patch your browser as soon as an update becomes available, which sadly is probably more the exception than the rule.
If you look closely at that Ison animation, you can see how the two comet tails are generated from:
a) dust left in the comet's wake
b) the solar wind/radiation pressure
I don't fancy Ison's chances of avoiding a Coronal Mass Ejection, though perhaps any CME may pass above or below Ison.
Neil
If you go back to 23rd on spaceweather, you can see better the buffering from the solar wind on comet encke's tail.
I don't fancy Ison's chances of escaping intact, either.
RIP Comet Ison
Ooopppsss reports of Ison's demise are premature. See spaceweather for movie of the resurrection!!!! spaceweather.com
Certainly looked rather unlikely as it past the sun but certainly something got through
Seems I'm doing one thing right using Firefox instead of IE. Pointless learning new devices for me, as by the time I have to change, things will have moved on again.
Understand why ipad good for Newdawn, Chris and other, just keeping in touch is good whatever device one uses.
I was once providing required business technical support to programmers installing a new platform for a large financial company.They said it was nearly obsolete even before it went into user testing. So not much has changed except the speed of change.
Hope we get some clear skies next week or whatever happens to Ison I'll be reliant on the tv..
So far mobiles have it at the moment especially if you count a laptop as mobile which many are not with transformers like bricks!
Tablet internet usage less than 5 percent, behind mobile and desktop, new data suggests
zdnet.com/tablet-internet-u...
"Tablet internet usage peaked at just 4.82 percent in July, but dipped slightly to 4.78 percent in November, eclipsed by global smartphone and desktop internet share of 19.1 percent and 76.1 percent respectively."
Interesting, considering our poll shows tablets and smart phones pretty well neck and neck, but the article does go on to say "One of the interesting snippets from the report is that U.K. tablet share is stronger than that of the U.S.', standing at 9.6 percent compared to its American cousins at just shy of 7 percent."
Tablets just getting cheaper and cheaper...
How about 30 pounds..??
Now I can have one upstairs and one downstairs to save me walking.. BUT the up and down the stairs IS good for me..!!
bbc.co.uk/news/technology-2...
Dick
