it's supposed to be a tool that I turn on and use, not have to be a CS major/have years of experience/whatever they percieve it takes to fix it to understand it
Well, no. The computer is a general purpose tool. Of course it takes training to use it. If JB doesn't want to learn to use a general purpose tool (GPT), she should buy something else instead, perhaps a settop box. But if she is going to invest $2000 in a GPT, then yes she should invest the time and effort to learn to use it. If not, she's just wasting money.
All these problems stem from the fact that the computer is GPT; it can be programmed, and thus used for a wide variety of things. This creates a need for ongoing knowledge maintenance. Some of us love computers for this reason. Those who are not willing to invest the requisite effort sould buy a single purpose tool (SPT) instead.
If you bought one appliance that functioned as a refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster, and dishwasher, you would expect a learning curve. There is no a priori obvious way for this to function. But it is just a multi-function tool, whereas a computer can be made to do things that were not yet conceived of at the time of manufacture. It is patently absurd to think you can have that level of flexibility without having to do some learning. Furthermore, if you leave it open for others to manipulate while you eschew any loss of ignorance, someone will take advantage of you. People would never do this any other area of life, so why do they do it with the most complicated tool they buy?
I thought the comment of Bill Gates that he created Open-Source (err the enviroment in which it can thrive) and that open-source users and programmers are all communists, was much more interesting.
While I tend to disbelieve all Apple rumors, I find this one particularly tempting.
By far the largest segment of the potential computer market is that portion which consists of people who are not already computer users. It would be fruitless (no pun intended) for Apple to concentrate their marketing and new products on an attempt to convert those who already have an investment in Windows software. Instead, there is a much larger segment available and Apple is going after it. So far they have done so by making there products have visual appeal.
Handwriting recognition that works (assuming that it does) could also be a boon. Many folks are overwhelmed by or even afraid of computers. Providing those folks with a familiar and immediately usable input method could entice them into the computer using population. If their first investment is with Apple, there is a good chance they'll remain Apple customers for years.
Many creative writers find creating with a keyboard difficult. This provides them with familiar input and digital output -- the best of the paper and computer worlds. And some of us just don't touch type. I can hunt and peck at about 15 wpm, but I can print quite legibly at about 30 wpm. Switching to real handwriting recognition would double my speed instantly. While this is not common among/.ers, it may be quite common among the unwashed masses.
Mostly, I'd like to see the same input methods available for my Mac and my Palm. Steve Jobs has said that Apple is "working closely" with Palm, and there are rumors that the next generation of Palms will have a new handwriting recognition engine. It's not too much of a leap to think that Apple might license this engine to Palm creating an even tighter link between Palm and Apple. (Palm Desktop is already included on the CD with the Mac OS and on new Macs.)
This could be a win for Apple because new users might be much more likely to buy a PDA than a full-blown computer. When they are ready to move up to a laptop, the handwriting recognition they are used to is available on a Mac, and only on a Mac. Further, synching it with their existing PDA is easy. This way Apple can use Palm as a new entry point for acquiring Mac users.
Of course, in the meantime Apple must keep its existing customer base. The best way to phase this in is to offer it as a standard option for data entry on an existing popular line such as the Powerbook. The idea may be to eliminate the keyboard on some Mac, but I don't think Apple is about to eliminate the keyboard across their entire product line. Their recent release of a new keyboard product supports this theory.
We all know the Newton was dropped, but we don't know that this was because of handwriting recognition. Steve Jobs has said that Apple will sell only one OS rather than having several lines "like some others." This leads one NOT to conclude that the sixth slot in the product matrix will be filled with an Apple branded PDA running Palm OS -- a move that would be particularly counterproductive if Apple is licensing Inkwell to Palm. Instead, it is more likely to be some variant on the "book" theme using the Mac OS and serving as an entry level computer for a new market segment.
Slashdot Mirror
a rabbit with antlers.
Well, no. The computer is a general purpose tool. Of course it takes training to use it. If JB doesn't want to learn to use a general purpose tool (GPT), she should buy something else instead, perhaps a settop box. But if she is going to invest $2000 in a GPT, then yes she should invest the time and effort to learn to use it. If not, she's just wasting money.
All these problems stem from the fact that the computer is GPT; it can be programmed, and thus used for a wide variety of things. This creates a need for ongoing knowledge maintenance. Some of us love computers for this reason. Those who are not willing to invest the requisite effort sould buy a single purpose tool (SPT) instead.
If you bought one appliance that functioned as a refrigerator, stove, microwave, toaster, and dishwasher, you would expect a learning curve. There is no a priori obvious way for this to function. But it is just a multi-function tool, whereas a computer can be made to do things that were not yet conceived of at the time of manufacture. It is patently absurd to think you can have that level of flexibility without having to do some learning. Furthermore, if you leave it open for others to manipulate while you eschew any loss of ignorance, someone will take advantage of you. People would never do this any other area of life, so why do they do it with the most complicated tool they buy?
I thought the comment of Bill Gates that he created Open-Source (err the enviroment in which it can thrive) and that open-source users and programmers are all communists, was much more interesting.
How Microsoft invented open source, by Billg
While I tend to disbelieve all Apple rumors, I find this one particularly tempting.
/.ers, it may be quite common among the unwashed masses.
By far the largest segment of the potential computer market is that portion which consists of people who are not already computer users. It would be fruitless (no pun intended) for Apple to concentrate their marketing and new products on an attempt to convert those who already have an investment in Windows software. Instead, there is a much larger segment available and Apple is going after it. So far they have done so by making there products have visual appeal.
Handwriting recognition that works (assuming that it does) could also be a boon. Many folks are overwhelmed by or even afraid of computers. Providing those folks with a familiar and immediately usable input method could entice them into the computer using population. If their first investment is with Apple, there is a good chance they'll remain Apple customers for years.
Many creative writers find creating with a keyboard difficult. This provides them with familiar input and digital output -- the best of the paper and computer worlds. And some of us just don't touch type. I can hunt and peck at about 15 wpm, but I can print quite legibly at about 30 wpm. Switching to real handwriting recognition would double my speed instantly. While this is not common among
Mostly, I'd like to see the same input methods available for my Mac and my Palm. Steve Jobs has said that Apple is "working closely" with Palm, and there are rumors that the next generation of Palms will have a new handwriting recognition engine. It's not too much of a leap to think that Apple might license this engine to Palm creating an even tighter link between Palm and Apple. (Palm Desktop is already included on the CD with the Mac OS and on new Macs.)
This could be a win for Apple because new users might be much more likely to buy a PDA than a full-blown computer. When they are ready to move up to a laptop, the handwriting recognition they are used to is available on a Mac, and only on a Mac. Further, synching it with their existing PDA is easy. This way Apple can use Palm as a new entry point for acquiring Mac users.
Of course, in the meantime Apple must keep its existing customer base. The best way to phase this in is to offer it as a standard option for data entry on an existing popular line such as the Powerbook. The idea may be to eliminate the keyboard on some Mac, but I don't think Apple is about to eliminate the keyboard across their entire product line. Their recent release of a new keyboard product supports this theory.
We all know the Newton was dropped, but we don't know that this was because of handwriting recognition. Steve Jobs has said that Apple will sell only one OS rather than having several lines "like some others." This leads one NOT to conclude that the sixth slot in the product matrix will be filled with an Apple branded PDA running Palm OS -- a move that would be particularly counterproductive if Apple is licensing Inkwell to Palm. Instead, it is more likely to be some variant on the "book" theme using the Mac OS and serving as an entry level computer for a new market segment.