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Why should users care?

I've lost count of the number of times that people who supposedly know better start blaming users rather than work to make computers better. Really, why should people have know about what goes on in a computer? Why should they have to care?

Does your tv have to copy patch files from an external source on a regular basis just to work? Your phone? Your stereo? Your car, which is arguably more complex than a computer, reqires regular maintenance mostly for wear, not because of a design flaw. And generally, once it's fixed, it's fixed.

People expect computers to be difficult to use and maintain so the manufacturers and software vendors feel no real need to make them simpler and easier to use than they have to be.

Virii can exist largely because features were more important than security or stability to the folks that design software. Yes, security has moved to the forefront, or at least everyone would like us to believe this (and Microsoft isn't the only villain here, folks). We're still missing the essential point. A computer shouldn't be something that requires constant care in order to do something as simple as getting e-mail or browsing a web site.

The only way that this will ever change is when people stop thinking of computers as something special and start thinking of them as toasters - simple devices that are easy to use and don't require little or no maintenance. Until then, all the same arguments will keep going on. And on. And on.

Posted by: OldeTimeGeek   Posted on: 07/28/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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