[Gllug] Light the blue touchpaper...

Bruce Richardson itsbruce at uklinux.net
Wed Mar 17 17:28:10 UTC 2004


On Wed, Mar 17, 2004 at 01:55:51PM +0000, Jason wrote:
> > Agreed on this though, but this shouldn't mean that we should tell a child
> > to understand the source code before they can use dict(1).
> 
> Does it mean we should present the child with a black box appliance and 
> tell him he need never consider how it works?

It is the current situation, where ordinary computer users need to know
an unreasonable amount about the inner workings of their computers, that
is anomalous.  Most car drivers understand little if anything about the
technology within their cars and yet this does not prevent them from
being good drivers.  Knowledge of the internal combustion engine,
hydraulics, aerodynamics etc may be a help in some situations but is
entirely unnecessary for most people.

The home/work PC is an aberration that has done as much harm as good and
is now something of a millstone on computing progress.  It can
never satisfy the needs of the home and office users that are currently
shackled to it and their dependency makes them unable to see this.
Their demands (that all computers be like theirs, that development be
constrained within the narrow and inefficient model that they have
learned so painfully) are a hindrance.  

The generalist days of computing will hopefully come to an end, with
the computers that most people use becoming less obtrusive (and less
recognisable as computers).  Here's to increasing specialisation, the
spread of proper working practices within the industry and an end to the
barely-skilled single-celled species of IT worker that has evolved to
support the PC.

-- 
Bruce

It is impolite to tell a man who is carrying you on his shoulders that
his head smells.
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