If computers were cars...

Had an interesting discussion recently with my brother-in-law about computers and the lack of real progress the industry is making.

Let's face it, in terms of "usefulness", computers are still stuck in the dark ages. Or rather, the software is, both "Operating Systems" and "Applications". Apple (and many 3rd party Mac developers) have a better grip on the problem than the others, but each new release seems to me to move further away from the goal rather than closer to it.

The root of the problem seems to be "feature-centric" development rather than any meaningful focus on "ease of application" or "fitness for purpose". Each new release simply attempts to pack in more "features", presumably because "the market" is now predominantly "upgrade revenue" rather than "first-time users".

In our discussion, Nuno and I agreed that if cars had followed the same development path, only the "tech-savvy" few would be able to operate them (and therefore moved to buy them). Prior to about 1940-ish, each car manufacturer arranged the controls (brake, accelerator, etc.) according to their own vision of "how it should be". Indeed, the range of "core controls" was itself varied: ignition advance/retard, fuel mixture (and others) had to be controlled manually by the driver. Moving from one brand of car to another represented a considerable challenge in re-learning the controls.

Since the 40's, the main controls have become standardised. Nevertheless, the "minor" controls still vary widely in their implementation: horns, indicators, wipers, lights, parking brake, etc. But consumer familiarity with the existence of the control means they are (usually) easily found.

Some manufacturers have recently fallen into the "features" trap, though. Take a look at the absurd array of configurable features on, for example, a BMW M5.

Microsoft is the dominant player and one of the most guilty of ignoring "intuitiveness" in favour of "geek appeal". Come on! Get with the program (pun intended)! There are other, better interface options than WIMP (Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointer)! Why aren't you developing them?