I'm a PC and I want to be in control :)

[kierandill]

What does being a Windows PC person have to do with anything? This is nothing unique. That sounds like code for "I'm inflexible and only want to do things the way I already know how to do them."

Confessing to more than a little amusement that you started with this and then went on to describe how iOS does things (i.e. sandboxed - an remarkably inflexible way) What he wants precisely is flexibility, but that is what gets technophytes in trouble, and iOS was built to prevent that.

 

[Bosvaark]

Here are two examples of a direct connection to a PC network shared folder, supporting an "open in" with my chosen ipad app PDF Expert
I am using FileBrowser that has a permanent network drive to a PC on my network.
Workflow is less than 15 seconds to locate the file and open on my Ipad.

 

[Bosvaark]

I still don't know how to copy files from my ipad to a Windows PC using Files Connect
if you kow how to copy multiple files, please let me know
good luck

Unfortunately FilesConnect is a bit retarded compared to FileBrowser in copying multiple files, but can copy a folder to the pc.
I suggest reading the help guide and then if stuck post a specific question about the app to get further help.

 

[AQ_OC]

Confessing to more than a little amusement that you started with this and then went on to describe how iOS does things (i.e. sandboxed - an remarkably inflexible way) What he wants precisely is flexibility, but that is what gets technophytes in trouble, and iOS was built to prevent that.

He wants the flexibility to do things they way he knows how to do them.

People call the old carry over way of doing things flexible, when it fact they are doing all the grunge work.

There is nothing hard about doing things the way iOS wants to do them. You just have to think a certain way. I've been a user of MS products (and their ilk) since the early 80s and have used most modern OSs since that time. They have all had their way of doing things. Comparatively speaking, iOS is simple.

 

[col.bris]

You hit the nail on the head

By keeping it simple the masses can use it and it does not matter what is under the hood it just works. I too have come from a long background of iT support mainly os on Macs so adapting to ios has been easy when I hit the wall I just looked for Apps to do the job I needed.
What amazes me is the high level of satisfaction of users of iPads and iOS devices. It just works

 

[Commodore]

I think all hardware/software which comes with some pre-configured defaults should at least ask you (when being set up) what level of user you are (of course this might introduce a whole line of new problems to some people...).

Anyway... I'm getting a grip on how this thing works. It basically all boils down to testing various apps and choosing the one that suits you best. Until that point, it's a mess. As far as my flexibility goes it's because I have tons of various files, documents, media etc. on a "real" computer, and most of them are going to stay there until the next major technological change, because there simply isn't enough space on my iPad for all of them (or don't want to carry them around at all times). So accessing a network share is the right thing to do, and FileBrowser seems to be just the right tool for the job. Still testing out various media players -- so far CineXPlayer seems the best for videos -- and various note-taking apps. And I still need to find some adblocking tool (right now only OpenDNS does the job for some hosts).

 

[twerppoet]

The iCab Mobile browser has a lot of filters and plug-ins, including a couple ad-bocking tools. It is probably the most flexible browser on the iPad and very popular with those members who like to control their web experience.

That said, it's not a desktop browser. Don't expect everything you are used to, and, of course, you can't make it the default browser (unless you jailbreak).

Disclaimer. While I have iCab Mobile most of what I've said comes from other user's posts. I keep it around for the occasional tricky site, but seldom use it myself; mostly for it's ability to upload files to most (but not all) sites.

 

[AQ_OC]

Commodore. I'm glad you made the transition. I see/hear PC users fight with the iPad all the time. It's kinda funny in a way because they all say just about the same things.

 

[Commodore]

Could be because a few years (?) ago the paradigm was going to be that "program/application doesn't matter, it's the document/content that matters, and users shouldn't have to bother with what applications open or manipulate their documents". I vaguely remember something about how things would be going this direction, but no details. Maybe it was Microsoft.
Here it's just the other way around... because apparently it's easier to monetize when you lock unsuspecting new people into separate "sandboxes", and make it hard for them to move the content (documents, data, media...) around.

 

[KevinJS]

That is true and to some extent, is the direction that PCs have taken. Provided you have your file associations set up properly, the file will open the correct program and load.

However, there is a limit to how simple you can make the system. Many iPad users could go about their day, blissfully unaware of the "Open in..." function. All they have to remember is which app they use to fulfill a certain function and be done with it.

When I create a Pages document, and email it, I BCC myself and if I want to read the PDF I created in Pages, it opens in iBooks automatically. If I want to manipulate the original I open Pages and work on it. In that respect, the file is the important thing, and dictates to the system how it is to be loaded.

Sent from my iPhone using iPF

 

[DrHouse]

Flexibility against Security. This has been a topic for a long time with iOS.

The way I see it, it's more a matter of Flexibility against "Easy Management". I've been supporting softwares for a long time and there is nothing worse than a user who thinks he knows what he is doing. How many times have I heard: I did nothing, it just stopped working...

A file centric system is great when you know what you are doing, I mean, you really know what you are doing. And even then, from time to time, we do a mistake that will brake the system in some way (X11.conf anyone?)

A regular user will eventually spread the files everywhere: On the desktop, in "My Documents" and even on the C: drive at the root... He will install many apps that can handle the same type of file and won't understand why the media player is not VLC anymore but Quicktime... You know the story, after a few months, it's really hard to figure where are the important files for a proper backup.

iOS has taken an approach where the app and the content cannot be separated. For experienced users it can be annoying, but for the regular user, this is a perfect way to keep the damage to a minimum level. And keeping the risk low means easier support, easier maintenance.

On a file centric system, one good way to keep your files organized is to have them in specific folders: Movies in "Videos", music in "Music", documents in "Work", and so on... iOS is not that different as the "Videos" folder is the Movie app and the "Work" folder is Pages. The thing is that the "container" is also the "player". No need to know how to handle the file as the target app will do the job.

Of course, the issue of "flexibility" appeared when more than one app could handle the same file type. Wouldn't it be nice that we could play the movies located in Videos app? But it's like wishing that the movie would be in two different folders at the same time (Yeah, I know, a symlink can be used in Linux to do that). On a file centric system, this would make no sense an would lead to have multiple copies of the same file across the file system.

The app is the "folder", and the player. With the "Open in..." feature, we can also use another app to open the file in some cases which is quite nice. How I wish I could say to my mom: Just look in "Photos", it's there! Most of the time, she has put the file on the desktop, or in some random folder as she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing when asked where to save the picture

A few years ago, the file was dictating the function, now the "container" (AKA Apps in iOS) is doing it...

My 2 cents!

 

[AQ_OC]

Enjoyed reading that, DrHouse!

 

[KevinJS]

Enjoyed reading that, DrHouse!

And it sums up the iPad situation perfectly. How else can a truck driver effectively become a help desk. I know what members are talking about because my system is identical.

Sent from my iPhone using iPF