Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Of *Course* Linux Is Out-of-Touch With The Average User

by Paul Sherman on May 23, 2007 · 0 comments

in Everything Else

Slashdot posted a short mention of a ZDNet columnist’s article positing reasons why Linux hasn’t tipped.

Some of his reasons are prosaic – number 1, for example is because “on the whole, users aren’t all that dissatisfied with Windows.”

Reason number 5, and of course you knew it was coming, is because “Linux is still too geeky.” Quoting the columnist:

Over the last few years there’s been a huge push to make some Linux distros easier to use, and when you look at a distro like Ubuntu, you realize that they’ve done a pretty good job. Problem is, there are some areas of the OS that are still overwhelmingly geeky (for example, updates).

And of course, there’s my personal favorites, changing the display resolution or modifying the boot order on dual-boot boxes.

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A Journey Into The Uncanny Valley

by Paul Sherman on May 23, 2007 · 0 comments

in Everything Else

Last week in the Washington Post an article appeared describing how landmine-detonating robots being used in Iraq and Afghanistan were the objects of much affection in the field. This should not be surprising to anyone who works with systems that people depend on for critical tasks. Says the Washington Post:

Humans have long displayed an uncanny ability to make emotional connections with their manufactured helpmates…Now that our creations display elements of intelligence, however, the
bonds humans forge with their machines are even more impressive.

No kidding. I love my Sony Ericsson K750i with a passion. And my iPod – fuhgeddaboutit.

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