Thursday, July 31, 2008

It’s the Software, Not You

So true... Why can't software be easier to use?
Maybe it's a laziness thing, or a cost-saving thing. After all, it's less effort to make the end user jump through a bunch of hoops than to make your own software more intelligent.

All of these thoughts go through my mind every time I see the standard Windows software-installation wizard, seven screens long.

You don't really need seven screens of options to install a program, do you? Why can't it assume that you want the standard setup and get on with it?

Surely 90 percent of the time, people, YES, want the program in their Start menus; YES, want the typical installation; NO, don't want icons on the desktop; YES, agree to the legalese. And to accommodate the weirdos who wants something different, provide one single Installation Options button. And then get on with it. One screen, not seven.

Why do software designers want their work to appear more complex instead of less? I just don't get why they don't get it.

So the next time you're frustrated by software complexity, take heart; much of the time, it's not you. It's them. It's designers who have something on their mind other than software intelligence.
From the Desk of David Pogue - It’s the Software, Not You

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Macworld Video: A look at VirtualBox

A very good virtualization program for the Mac, developed by SUN, available for free as Open Source software.