day 54

the perpetuation of complexity 1: the pc versus the toaster by Vimal Goel

The archetypal information appliance - the PC - does not have the simplicity or usability of a toaster. In spite of all the talk about computers making our lives more productive, the industry continues to burden users with increasing levels of software complexity. For example, users go through an interminably long boot cycle before their machine is ready to cook. What if I only want to use the calculator, look up a phone number, or send a brief message? A lot of this bloatware is the result of feature creep. System and application vendors add more and more functionality in an effort to gain an edge over their competitors. It's a game of one-upmanship. Vendors demand increasingly faster processors and larger disk drives just to handle common tasks like writing one-page memos. Applying concepts like reusability and component architecture results in massive complexity. OLE applications are complex to program, and complicated to use. I am all for making the life a programmer more difficult only if the end user's experience can be improved.

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