A simple interface can hide a sophisticated program. Just because
it's easy to use, doesn't mean it's simple software.
I've poked at one of the early versions of the iVideo (?) program,
and was able to stumble through some simple edits with only a few
minutes playing around. That's a lot of power! I didn't have to
worry about aligning on odd or even frame boundaries, pre-roll times,
frame rates, or any other 'video things.' All without using the
manual or the help.
The iPod-- after fumbling with it for a minute or two, I was able to
play a different song, change the volume, scan the directories, etc.
etc. Once again, without using the manual.
In short, Apple has been developing the human interface to computing
systems; burying the complexity under the covers-- sort of like the
difference between Star Trek and Babylon 5.
In Star Trek, we know that the warp drive runs on antimatter, that it
uses 2 warp nacelles, that the whole thing is stablized with
dilithium crystals, that a cold start intermix formula exists and
that it involves a relationship between matter, energy, and time,
etc. etc.
In Babylon 5, we know there are jump gates, they flash in a
pre-determined pattern when they open and that's about it. We never
learn the technology behind the flashing lights.
In Star Trek the technology is the star-- it's always there, and
everyone explains exactly how it works, and what has to be done to
fix it when it breaks. In Babylon 5, the technology is there, but
everyone accepts it at face value, and that it works, and that it can
be repaired if it's broken.
When you push the button to summon an elevator, you don't care how it
works, just that the doors open in a reasonable time, and a little
room is there to take you to a different floor. You don't need to
know the tensile strength of the cables, the horsepower rating of the
motor, the tolerances of the guide rails, or the acceleration and
braking profiles.
That's Apple-- the technology is there, but you don't have to be
concerned with -how- it works, just that it -does- work.
--Paul E Musselman
PaulMmn_at_ix.netcom.nospam.com
>Simple software can be great. iPhoto for example. I mean I just use it for
>printing photos that I've scanned but it does that one job brilliantly. It
>shows you what the print will look like when it comes out. No, I don't mean
>like a normal print preview I mean it shows you your sheet of A4 paper (for
>example) in the printer, portrait orientated just like I specify, and shows
>me that the print will come out rotated 90 degrees to give me the resulting
>landscape print that I want. Why is this good? Well, I can't believe I'm the
>only persone to ever have printed landscape and put the paper in portrait
>and have my printer spit ink all over the rollers and leave 1/3rd of the
>page white!
>
>Simple can be good. Mind you, Photoshop's pretty good as well ;-)
>
>Brad
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