Have you ever listed to all the complaining concerning technology? Most people are able to do far more by using technology then they otherwise would be able to without it. This is fairly easy to see; if you don't see this as a fact, you should take this time to throw yourself down a steep embankment.
I have watched quite a few videos relating to people hating one technology or another, from operating systems to phones. Most people wouldn't be able to do half the things they are able to do now if someone didn't package the technology for them. This is clear when you look more advanced operating systems market share. The more computer friendly something is the harder it is to use; the opposite is also true, if something is user-friendly it is going to use a lot of resources. This is going to basically transform into a pernicious investment in hardware for the user and does not guarantee the availability of advanced functionality.
People proclaim to know about computers are usually full of shit. It is more likely that they are regurgitating something they heard or read from someone that actually understands what they are talking about -- though few of the tech pundits these day do. If they are having a problem with something they own, it is likely a problem they are causing in some way, shape, or form. This is not to insinuate that people are idiots, though most humans are, just that they lack the ability to be especially proficient in multiple areas. This is not as much of a fault as it is a result of being average; and let me assure you people, there is a lot of bellow-average out there. If you don't work with computers for a living, chances are, you may still be better than your tech guy at work -- though that isn't saying much, is it?
It is not that people are incapable of understanding, they just need to be motivated. They understand and are proficient at using things that they want to use, but when it comes to something that challenges them on a fundamental level, they have to have some inner motivation for figuring it out.
Just take a look at all the primates yelling about Windows on Youtube. It would be more useful for them to run about dragging their knuckles on the ground grunting; what we should do is just put actual chimps in front of the camera and get their opinion -- I think this would not only be more productive -- serving to be a research tool for several fields of study -- but it would also be more entertaining to watch.
Microsoft's Windows operating system is one of the most successful* operating systems produced, it has dominated in the business workstation and desktop space for virtually the entire time that business and personal PC's have been a major industry. That says that they are doing something right, even if this isn't necessarily something that you agree with; but then again, if you knew what you were talking about you would have written a better version yourself. Please don't confuse this with me saying Windows[*] is the best thing out there, it is just something that works that has won in the market; clearly.
When someone say's that they are having a problem with a particular technology, and it is automatically the programmer/developers fault. They don't think for a second that they could be doing something wrong; or perhaps they are using the wrong product for their use-case; until it is blatantly pointed out. Computers are complicated. New Technology used to be something that was more able to be easily understood, as things have progressed they have become much more complicated, and you must take the time to digest smaller sections at a time -- since the whole is just to large and abstract to understand by taking it in all at once. This is similar to most things when you get to a lower, more percise level of focus.
Regardless of the operating system that we are talking about, the people that worked on it have done everything in their ability to improve the user experience and/or the general functionality. At times this will be off base, this can be related to a number of issues; one thing it is not however, it is not intentional. In most cases a decision to do one thing or another comes down to complicated choices that all have trade offs in one direction or another. This could also be related to something as out of the developers control as vendor support for a product, a particular service unavailable on that particular platform, or some intricate software licensing issues that are all too often at the root of the problem.
For most developers, we are doing it because we are passionate about technology and have a talent for figuring out problems in general. The same people that you are screaming about doing this or that, are the ones providing you with the work-around to the problem many times.
I have worked for businesses that have made decisions with a piece of software that I haven't agreed with as the developer of that software, though that is not really my decision. My job is to do what I am told, and that usually means taking direction from a person who doesn't really understand how computers work and are making their decisions based on other peoples opinions. So you may end up with a product that has a limitation that is based solely on corporates inability to listen to specialists they are paying. Then again, this is your fault, since you are the ones buying the product. If you don't like how the program works, don't use. Perhaps there is a better choice out there for you; how about using your energy you are putting into hating stuff to do some diligent research?
This isn't to say that this is the way things should work, but this is the way things often do work. Now this is also not to say that the software is bad, it usually works quite well for the average use-case, though the more powerful or niche features aren't going to be there in many cases -- either because of money, time, or both. If you want software that is especially full featured you are going to have to pay for it. And if you want really good software, especially customized to your use-case, start looking for investors and a market in which to sell that software in; because it is going to be far more expensive to produce for personal use. Though this isn't true in all cases, this is generally true if we are talking about something at the level of Photoshop, OSX, or say Windows[*]. Programers need to eat too!
Lets be clear, I am not saying that it is not ok to complain about a program or feature. What I am saying is that it is not useful to make statements that are so general. If people spent some time researching a particular application and making specific points about needed functionality changes, chances are they would quickly find the answer to their particular problem or would gain a greater understanding of the program as a whole, which would lead to useful feedback by default. Since they now understand what they are working with, to a degree, this also allows one to now be a type of contributor. If not directly by contributing code, one could contribute to the community by writing documentation, providing general help and guidance for other users, or simply by giving useful feedback to the development team. Saying, "... this sucks..." does not count as useful feedback. Chances are if it is broke, and it is not a particular hardware issue, someone knows and there is a reason why it isn't fixed yet.
For some reason it is rare that you hear from people when things go as planned. For all those times that you turned on your computer and it ran flawlessly you didn't think of sending those hardworking, pencil pushers over-there at Microsoft some thanks. No notes, no nothing; but as soon as something is wrong (ie. you broke it), fuck them; right? Just because someone makes it look easy, it isn't, and that goes for whatever it is. From freestyle motocross, to flying, to programming. It takes years, and then it take more years to refine. But by all means, if you think you can do it better, please pull up a chair, a keyboard, and a text editor, and start pushing up some commits -- if that is not in your skill set, this would be a good time for you to STFU! Thanks.
Samples of what people who don't know what they are doing say and do:
I have watched quite a few videos relating to people hating one technology or another, from operating systems to phones. Most people wouldn't be able to do half the things they are able to do now if someone didn't package the technology for them. This is clear when you look more advanced operating systems market share. The more computer friendly something is the harder it is to use; the opposite is also true, if something is user-friendly it is going to use a lot of resources. This is going to basically transform into a pernicious investment in hardware for the user and does not guarantee the availability of advanced functionality. People proclaim to know about computers are usually full of shit. It is more likely that they are regurgitating something they heard or read from someone that actually understands what they are talking about -- though few of the tech pundits these day do. If they are having a problem with something they own, it is likely a problem they are causing in some way, shape, or form. This is not to insinuate that people are idiots, though most humans are, just that they lack the ability to be especially proficient in multiple areas. This is not as much of a fault as it is a result of being average; and let me assure you people, there is a lot of bellow-average out there. If you don't work with computers for a living, chances are, you may still be better than your tech guy at work -- though that isn't saying much, is it?
It is not that people are incapable of understanding, they just need to be motivated. They understand and are proficient at using things that they want to use, but when it comes to something that challenges them on a fundamental level, they have to have some inner motivation for figuring it out.
Just take a look at all the primates yelling about Windows on Youtube. It would be more useful for them to run about dragging their knuckles on the ground grunting; what we should do is just put actual chimps in front of the camera and get their opinion -- I think this would not only be more productive -- serving to be a research tool for several fields of study -- but it would also be more entertaining to watch.
Microsoft's Windows operating system is one of the most successful* operating systems produced, it has dominated in the business workstation and desktop space for virtually the entire time that business and personal PC's have been a major industry. That says that they are doing something right, even if this isn't necessarily something that you agree with; but then again, if you knew what you were talking about you would have written a better version yourself. Please don't confuse this with me saying Windows[*] is the best thing out there, it is just something that works that has won in the market; clearly. When someone say's that they are having a problem with a particular technology, and it is automatically the programmer/developers fault. They don't think for a second that they could be doing something wrong; or perhaps they are using the wrong product for their use-case; until it is blatantly pointed out. Computers are complicated. New Technology used to be something that was more able to be easily understood, as things have progressed they have become much more complicated, and you must take the time to digest smaller sections at a time -- since the whole is just to large and abstract to understand by taking it in all at once. This is similar to most things when you get to a lower, more percise level of focus.
Regardless of the operating system that we are talking about, the people that worked on it have done everything in their ability to improve the user experience and/or the general functionality. At times this will be off base, this can be related to a number of issues; one thing it is not however, it is not intentional. In most cases a decision to do one thing or another comes down to complicated choices that all have trade offs in one direction or another. This could also be related to something as out of the developers control as vendor support for a product, a particular service unavailable on that particular platform, or some intricate software licensing issues that are all too often at the root of the problem.
For most developers, we are doing it because we are passionate about technology and have a talent for figuring out problems in general. The same people that you are screaming about doing this or that, are the ones providing you with the work-around to the problem many times.
I have worked for businesses that have made decisions with a piece of software that I haven't agreed with as the developer of that software, though that is not really my decision. My job is to do what I am told, and that usually means taking direction from a person who doesn't really understand how computers work and are making their decisions based on other peoples opinions. So you may end up with a product that has a limitation that is based solely on corporates inability to listen to specialists they are paying. Then again, this is your fault, since you are the ones buying the product. If you don't like how the program works, don't use. Perhaps there is a better choice out there for you; how about using your energy you are putting into hating stuff to do some diligent research?
This isn't to say that this is the way things should work, but this is the way things often do work. Now this is also not to say that the software is bad, it usually works quite well for the average use-case, though the more powerful or niche features aren't going to be there in many cases -- either because of money, time, or both. If you want software that is especially full featured you are going to have to pay for it. And if you want really good software, especially customized to your use-case, start looking for investors and a market in which to sell that software in; because it is going to be far more expensive to produce for personal use. Though this isn't true in all cases, this is generally true if we are talking about something at the level of Photoshop, OSX, or say Windows[*]. Programers need to eat too!
Lets be clear, I am not saying that it is not ok to complain about a program or feature. What I am saying is that it is not useful to make statements that are so general. If people spent some time researching a particular application and making specific points about needed functionality changes, chances are they would quickly find the answer to their particular problem or would gain a greater understanding of the program as a whole, which would lead to useful feedback by default. Since they now understand what they are working with, to a degree, this also allows one to now be a type of contributor. If not directly by contributing code, one could contribute to the community by writing documentation, providing general help and guidance for other users, or simply by giving useful feedback to the development team. Saying, "... this sucks..." does not count as useful feedback. Chances are if it is broke, and it is not a particular hardware issue, someone knows and there is a reason why it isn't fixed yet.
For some reason it is rare that you hear from people when things go as planned. For all those times that you turned on your computer and it ran flawlessly you didn't think of sending those hardworking, pencil pushers over-there at Microsoft some thanks. No notes, no nothing; but as soon as something is wrong (ie. you broke it), fuck them; right? Just because someone makes it look easy, it isn't, and that goes for whatever it is. From freestyle motocross, to flying, to programming. It takes years, and then it take more years to refine. But by all means, if you think you can do it better, please pull up a chair, a keyboard, and a text editor, and start pushing up some commits -- if that is not in your skill set, this would be a good time for you to STFU! Thanks.
Samples of what people who don't know what they are doing say and do:
- Now this is a bit tangential, though I think it is still fairly relevant since he is really driving the point home about not understanding software; clearly. http://youtu.be/eD3Isw4dzU4
- now this is just crazy, but i did start following dude just because he was talented in other areas and generally entertaining: http://youtu.be/TmPiYZnrWlk
- Now I feel a little bad here, this is pure frustration(funny though): http://youtu.be/l9t5-qXcNLk
- This is the gentleman that prompted by earlier GNU/Linux article; and got me trolling around for the other 'tech-hate' videos; idiocy at it's finest: http://youtu.be/oTiztqndGco
- Colloquium on Computer Systems Seminar Series: http://youtu.be/x8ZLNxnYslM
- Java is "heavyweight, verbose, and everyone loves to hate it," but Wall still thinks you should know it...: http://youtu.be/LR8fQiskYII
- Greg Kroah Hartman on the Linux Kernel: http://youtu.be/L2SED6sewRw
- "Nobody should call themselves a professional if they only knew one language.": http://youtu.be/NvWTnIoQZj4
- Problems with the Linux Desktop and what could be done to solve those problems: http://youtu.be/YoYL4R3Te2s
- alternative for those using Microsoft Windows: Linux Mint. http://youtu.be/7G7TJyZPKPo
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