Re: [9fans] how people learn things (was architectures)

[Lucio De Re <lucio@proxima.alt.za>]

On Fri, Jul 13, 2001 at 12:07:23PM +0200, Boyd Roberts wrote:
>
> yes, this is the 'killer app' theory.  i don't actually want excel -- i'll
> use awk.  i don't want word -- i'll use troff.  but the problem is that J.
> Random User wants this 'cos it's shiny and flashy and they can point and
> click (have it crash on them :) and don't need to know anything about
> programming or typography.
>
Well, you don't have to be a mechanic to drive a car (and have
accidents and failures) or a veterinarian to ride a horse.  And you
have to be able to handle spreadsheets and documents when dealing with
the world at large.  Not a situation you have to be happy with,
any more than, for example, I like freeways, but a situation that has
taken root very firmly.  strings | awk just won't do :-)

The flashy bit, by the way, is incidental, merely the meme's way to
make itself attractive.  Nothing new there, take a look at the rest of
nature :-)

Hm, maybe Plan 9 should also find the key to presenting its meme
material in an irresistible coating.

> i write code.  i grew up with troff.  i use windows as a _terminal_.
> well, i have written code for it, but i needed a job and got conned.
> in retrospect it was very interesting 'cos i had to learn it from
> scratch and the constant 'they did what!?!' suprises taught me why
> it doesn't work and how it's very difficult to write a correct
> windows program.
>
I'm sure most of Microsoft's bad decisions were mandated by time to
market.  And the realisation that is it more profitable to invest in
marketing than in design.  No one else ever perceived the opportunity
in supplying a faulty product with the promise of something better to
come.  Sheer genius.

++L