I Don’t Want a Freaking Computer

Even my girlfriend (iPhone 3G and 3GS user of over a year) is jealous of my Nexus One.<p>But he's right, in a different way. When I use a computer, I make it do things. I give it commands, and it executes them, faster than before. I can write a script to transcode ripped DVDs overnight, according to my specifications, and automatically calculating crop values, pixel aspect ratios, etc. to produce the appropriate output for putting movies on my handheld devices. I can write programs that manipulate masses of data in heterogeneous formats and emit summaries, graphs, animations, visualizations of my design, not limited to the preconceptions of some third party software designer thousands of miles away.<p>I use my computer as a computational device. To compute things. iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, these aren't computational devices. They are a different kind of thing; but my need and desire for ad-hoc computation are not limited to my current location or equipment, so I want my phone to be similarly flexible. But the things an iPhone etc. can do, I can also do.

<p><pre><code> &#62; I even tell my dealer to change my tires twice a year &#62; I even drilled a hole my wall, and bought a 60 feet cable, at the cost of $300 </code></pre> What?! Is this guy completely oblivious to the way he spends his money?<p><pre><code> &#62; Yep, I am one of the drooling mac fanatics. </code></pre> Oh. Well, there you have it.

In my opinion, this article fails to draw a crucial line: the limit between what a user has to know and what he can ignore.<p>Speaking of cars, users have extensive knowledge of it. To the point that no one can legally drive a car without a driving licence. This represents <i>dozens</i> of hours of specialized learning and training.<p>And I was talking about a single purpose device. Computers have many purposes. No amount of user friendliness is going to hide this essential complexity. No matter what we do, users will have to know basic things like the difference between a computer and a program, between a browser and a the Internet, or between the address bar and the search box. If they don't, they could lose their privacy or their money. Just like driving left without looking can be lethal.<p>Many computer users lack this kind of knowledge. The only way we can give them a "great experience" is by teaching first. Until we do, they will stay dependent, helpless, and happy. (At least as far as computers are concerned, which is further and further, these days.)

I don't want a freaking computer either. But I do want something that will let me listen to a streaming music app while writing emails.

I would like to see him write that post on an iPad. On second thought, I have better things to do with six hours.

The author of this article is interesting because he is so obvious: "It's about giving people a great experience."<p>In other words: it's all about selling stuff to consumers. Which is a great thing to say if - like Baekdal - you are marketing yourself as a guru to people to want to sell stuff.<p>Many "usability" discussions have the implicit (sometimes explicit goal) of making it easy for users to do things without having to learn anything first. This may be fine for generic routine tasks that everyone has to do from time to time. We are all thrilled about our shiny new phones. But consider this:<p>1. Not long ago, most things were hard, confusing or impossible to do on any phone 2. Even if 80% of all things you can do on an iPhone are dead simple - are these things that really matter to you?<p>Things worth well are usually not generic routine tasks. When you love what you are doing and try to make it as good as you can, using the right tools in the right way is a major part of the experience. But that kind of experience is impossible without making an effort to learn new things.<p>My personal belief is that those of us who want to create our own experiences benefit from getting our hands dirty with technology now and then.

This guy's like the author's friend in <i>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</i>.

I do. I like programming and playing around with stuff and have since I put my hands on a Commodore PET. Granted, I like to do what I want to do, rather than fixing broken stuff, but there's so much interesting stuff out there, that having source for it just makes your life that much more pleasant.

I don't want a freaking iPhone that won't fit in my pocket.

"I really don't want a computer. I hate computers. But, what I do like is the power and convenience that a computer gives me."<p>Same. I want carefreeness of the 60s, with the convenience of the 10s.