[thelist] FYI - Plug this MS Application Hole

James Aylard evolt at pixelwright.com
Thu Sep 4 12:56:17 CDT 2003


Chris Marsh wrote:

> Microsoft, AOL et al thrive on the ignorance of their users. It is
> against their business interests to have informed users, because
> informed users Do It Themselves rather than installing megabyte upon
> megabyte of bloated application to do it for them.

    Stepping back from the particular software/service companies cited,
wouldn't you agree that most computer users are either intimidated by
technology or have no interest in familiarizing themselves with the
underlying digestive processes of their software in order to learn to "do it
themselves"?
    Is it the primary duty of a software maker to provide a technical
education to everyone who uses its software, or to make its software easy to
use? The answer will likely depend on the target audience and the purpose of
the software maker, but for most software primarily targeted for
non-technical users, the more reasonable goal is making software easy to
use.

> Freeserve was a
> case in point some time ago with their dial-up accounts. They gave
> you an executable file in order to "install" your dialup account, on
> the grounds that it was easier than setting up a dialup connection
> manually. If you ran the .exe, your machine was tied inexorably to
> Freeserve forever.

    A bad or greedy implementation doesn't negate the goal of making
software easy to use.

> This was opposed to entering a phone number,
> account name and password in a dialogue box; <sarcasm>which I must
> confess I find so difficult and complex that I have often had to
> survive without an internet connection</sarcasm>.

    But you are a technically savvy user, probably unlike the average user
targeted by Freeserve.

> It would be
> more ethical to educate users but 1) This would make less money, and
> 2) People in general are lazy and prefer to believe the hype rather
> than figure it out for themselves. Therefore Microsoft shelters its
> users in the short term, exposing them to many more dangers in the
> longer term. One can't really knock them for this, as it's a proven
> business model that has made a lot of people very rich indeed.

    Do you diagnose any problem that your car might have, and perform the
repair yourself? Even if you do, most people do not because they either
don't have the time or the inclination to learn enough about the functioning
of their car in order to gain the expertise -- and the confidence --
necessary to do so. Is it the responsibility of automobile makers to educate
drivers about the workings of pistons and fuel injectors, or to make the car
as easy to use as possible for the average driver? While a mechanically
savvy driver is far better off than an ignorant one, no car manufacturer
will spend anywhere near the money educating drivers that they spend on
making their products easier to use.
    Technology is hardly any different, and I don't expect the average user
to gain the expertise or confidence to do tasks manually -- even seemingly
simple things -- that can be made easier by automation. If you love to do
those things, great -- you will be better off for it. But it is arrogant to
insist that everyone else do it that way, too.

James Aylard
evolt at pixelwright.com



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