Simplifying the PC
Thursday, December 13, 2001
by Mark Hurst
Exactly one year ago today I wrote a Good Experience column called
It's Time to Simplify the PC, in which I described the complexity of personal computers:
Unfortunately, even the simplest site on the Web can't escape the
overwhelming complexity of the personal computer on which the
site appears. Everything about today's personal computer - from
the hardware to the operating system to the Web browser software
- is complicated, unreliable, ridden with defects (not "bugs," as
the industry would like us to call them), and focused on
short-term profits at the expense of the user.
What has this past year brought to the PC experience for the average user? I can only think of two things: more e-mail viruses for the long-suffering users of Microsoft Outlook, and the release of Windows XP, whose main selling point is that it doesn't crash quite as often as preceding versions of Windows.
Given Microsoft's monopoly, and the general stagnation of the PC market, I don't expect any major improvements from the industry any time soon.
In great contrast to this situation is my own Macintosh, which I have outfitted with a small collection of freeware and shareware to run almost everything. At this moment, for example, I'm typing in a text editor that I got for free, in a file format (plaintext) that is free and accessible to every type of computer and networked digital device in the world, while my spelling mistakes are caught and corrected on the fly by a simple shareware program.
Meanwhile I'm listening to a dj mix, in mp3 format, that I downloaded (legally) for free - and those music bits are coming to me through the Quicktime player, which was included free on the Mac when i bought it. I never have to deal with viruses, I never have to upgrade my software, and I never have to worry about the compatibility of my (plaintext) bits. Barring some tremendous technological advance, I have trouble imagining how my computing life could get much easier or more effective, no matter what hardware or software upgrade I was offered.
Unfortunately, the Mac didn't come outfitted like this; I had to take matters into my own hands to get it this way. My point is that the major software companies are probably never going to give users the tools they need to enjoy an optimal PC experience. Instead, it's going to take the efforts of people outside the Microsofts and Intels to really make a difference. I, for one, would be happy to work on the project, if there was just some funding to get it started. (Any takers? :)
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