Minimalism in computing is not about how your computer looks. It’s about how you use it — ensuring it has everything you need and nothing you don’t.
— Chris Bowler in Computing Simplicity?
The 7 different cursors I’ve found in a 300-pixel wide space using Office 2008 for Mac.
Someone approved this idea. Think about that.
99% of n00bs
Recently, I’ve read a lot of interesting posts about the iPad and the future of computing, and then some posts about the ReadWriteWeb/Facebook login page: some say we’re the stupid ones, others say no, we’re not. Anyway, the Internets talked about the n00bs.
(seriously, read these articles, it’s worth it)
My favorite feature of the iPad as a device for n00bs — but also with the iPhone OS as a system for 75 000 000 people — is the hidden filesystem: no file, no folder, no double-click to open a document or an application.
(Please don’t think I’m saying the iPad is only for the n00bs. I think it will be the very first good computing experience for A LOT of users)
I’ve seen friends and colleagues from the IT sphere being afraid of change, scared about losing the multitasking feature, the right-click, the windows… It’s not going to happen.
Time for the never-ending cars analogy: the firsts automobiles were for people who knew how to deal with a broken engine. They had to know how to fix a car. I have no idea how to fix an engine, and the best part is, I don’t want to know. I don’t want to use my car, only go where I have to. When it’s broken, I bring it to an expert, the kind of guy who has a better car he uses and fix every week, because he loves to.
The Macintosh didn’t kill the shell. It brought mouse to the IT sphere and computing to the Real World. 25 years later, I still use a shell everyday, and my father has no idea he can right-click on his Mighty Mouse. I’m pretty sure the iPad will hide the filesystem from the n00bs the same way Mac OS X hides the shell from the real world. I know computer experts will always have a shell to create a great computer world for them and the Real World.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Lou Reed & Antony - Perfect Day (1972 / 2003)
I discovered the original song in Trainspotting and this cover by Lou Reed and Antony (from Antony & The Johnsons) in the album The Raven.
Apparently, Lou Reed forgot to play it during his set at the Isle of Wight festival in 2006, so he asked Coldplay to cover it.
Basecamp is the first product I have seen that is truly project management for everyone.
— Jim Dunnigan, former Product Manager for Microsoft Project
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
The Kinks - This Time Tomorrow (1970)
People like Instapaper because of the features it has now and the way they’re designed into the app. If I let users steer product decisions, the result would be a massive codebase producing a bloated, cluttered product full of features that hardly anyone used at the expense of everyday usability and polish on the features that matter. Like Microsoft Word. Or Firefox.
Stuff →
Paul Graham:
Another way to resist acquiring stuff is to think of the overall cost of owning it. The purchase price is just the beginning. You’re going to have to think about that thing for years—perhaps for the rest of your life. Every thing you own takes energy away from you. Some give more than they take. Those are the only things worth having.
