I'll not argue about not fighting the interface, that's a dumb thing to do. However, when it comes right down to it, Windows has gone over that line and WELL BEYOND dumbing things down. Great, fine, make an interface that allows for efficiency and advanced functionality, I'm all for it, and always have been. But don't dumb it down so bloody much that people don't have any reason, any incentive, to learn at least a little about the equipment they're trying to operate. Can you show me an interface that does this? Because I'll most certainly tell you Windows ain't it. Nor is the interface on most Cellular phones, or most other consumer electronics devices these days. They've almost all been dumbed down to the point people don't need to - and therefore don't bother to - use the brains they were born with.
Yes, I know computers, at least in as much as supporting them and fixing them on a daily basis as my job. I also have plenty of common sense. No, I don't believe in doing everything the hardest way it can be done, and I'm by no means a programmer (I detest coding with a passion), but I've seen the effects of dumbing down interfaces. 15 years ago, people using computers had at least enough knowledge about them to be able to (and know they should, and actually do it) run basic maintenance tasks once in awhile. They knew to write down error messages and give them when they called for help. They knew if they submitted a request for help to their IT dept for instance, to include what they were trying to do, and what happened, whether there were error messages, and if so, what they were. They knew approximately what files were OS related, or at least what areas they were stored in, and to NOT BLOODY GO MESS WITH CRAP THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT AND COULD COMPLETELY STUFF THEIR BOX.
Now, this has all gone out the window. As Windows has gone more and more dumbed down, people have gotten more and more lazy and stupid.
People generally don't bother to run any preventative maintenance on their computers. They don't bother to remember or write down error messages, they just click to get them off the screen as quick as they can. The common helpdesk request now reads something like "my computer doesn't work" or "This thing is broken, please fix it now". When you ask them what is wrong, the typical response is "I don't know, it just isn't working" then they lead you on a game of 20 questions where you have to specifically ask for every piece of information - what exactly were you trying to do, what program were you using, what did you type or click on, what happened when you did that, did it give an error, what was the error - oh you didn't bother to read it how lovely of you. People now commonly go screwing around with files and or parts of their computers they have utterly no business doing so, and then get mad when they break it, and by god it's not their fault, it's the computers fault, or it's ITs fault.
Who the bloody hell is the one with no common sense? Not me, it's the users these days, and it's because of dumbed down interfaces.
Go make an interface that allows advanced functionality and efficiency but doesn't dumb everything down and allow people to be morons, and you'll probably get richer than Microsoft, just from all the IT departments in the world who would probably do everything they could do get your interface used in their organization to save them a little sanity.
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We could do this the hard way or the easy way
I'll not argue about not fighting the interface, that's a dumb thing to do. However, when it comes right down to it, Windows has gone over that line and WELL BEYOND dumbing things down. Great, fine, make an interface that allows for efficiency and advanced functionality, I'm all for it, and always have been. But don't dumb it down so bloody much that people don't have any reason, any incentive, to learn at least a little about the equipment they're trying to operate. Can you show me an interface that does this? Because I'll most certainly tell you Windows ain't it. Nor is the interface on most Cellular phones, or most other consumer electronics devices these days. They've almost all been dumbed down to the point people don't need to - and therefore don't bother to - use the brains they were born with.
Yes, I know computers, at least in as much as supporting them and fixing them on a daily basis as my job. I also have plenty of common sense. No, I don't believe in doing everything the hardest way it can be done, and I'm by no means a programmer (I detest coding with a passion), but I've seen the effects of dumbing down interfaces. 15 years ago, people using computers had at least enough knowledge about them to be able to (and know they should, and actually do it) run basic maintenance tasks once in awhile. They knew to write down error messages and give them when they called for help. They knew if they submitted a request for help to their IT dept for instance, to include what they were trying to do, and what happened, whether there were error messages, and if so, what they were. They knew approximately what files were OS related, or at least what areas they were stored in, and to NOT BLOODY GO MESS WITH CRAP THEY KNEW NOTHING ABOUT AND COULD COMPLETELY STUFF THEIR BOX.
Now, this has all gone out the window. As Windows has gone more and more dumbed down, people have gotten more and more lazy and stupid.
People generally don't bother to run any preventative maintenance on their computers. They don't bother to remember or write down error messages, they just click to get them off the screen as quick as they can. The common helpdesk request now reads something like "my computer doesn't work" or "This thing is broken, please fix it now". When you ask them what is wrong, the typical response is "I don't know, it just isn't working" then they lead you on a game of 20 questions where you have to specifically ask for every piece of information - what exactly were you trying to do, what program were you using, what did you type or click on, what happened when you did that, did it give an error, what was the error - oh you didn't bother to read it how lovely of you. People now commonly go screwing around with files and or parts of their computers they have utterly no business doing so, and then get mad when they break it, and by god it's not their fault, it's the computers fault, or it's ITs fault.
Who the bloody hell is the one with no common sense? Not me, it's the users these days, and it's because of dumbed down interfaces.
Go make an interface that allows advanced functionality and efficiency but doesn't dumb everything down and allow people to be morons, and you'll probably get richer than Microsoft, just from all the IT departments in the world who would probably do everything they could do get your interface used in their organization to save them a little sanity.