17th
Namely, why is it we are still stuck with WIMP, or more specifically real world metaphors? It’s good, definitely, but we are constraining ourselves in a comfort zone. Something like Cooliris for example is a great way to view search information on a large scale. Microsoft recently debuted some search software that uses graphical arrangements of multiple images to create a more manageable volume of data.
I think that recently retrograde steps have been made, particularly by Apple. The iPad (I know, not that again) heavily relies on real world representation, as does most Apple software, in it’s software. They keep sticking to solid pages for example in iBooks, and try and make it look as booky as possible. Why not take advantage of the limitless scrolling capabilities for example? They always aspire to make computers simpler, and what that ends up doing is making computers less useful. We should be helping everyone get more tech savvy, not narrow down productivity to a select few. If the iPad is a game changer (which I don’t think it is) and everyone ends up following the same paradigms, like those in the tech press (Jesus Diaz and John Gruber in particular) would have us believe, then the growth into technology and the real usefulness that computers could have for society in the future is already being limited. It sounds over dramatic, but simplifying everything at the expense of functionality is going to create a massive group (maybe majority?) of people who can’t do anything more than browse the web and download a few twitter apps. Have we no greater aspirations?
