Date of publication: August 1998
|
![[IMAGE]](finley.gif)
by Mike & Harvey Robbins |
Hi Michael,
I've been reading your columns with interest for some time, and I'd like to comment on the latest.
Please tell your friend John Morrison not to be discouraged. Yes, there's some truth to what he has to say:
I find Windows just as demoralizing as he does. Fortunately, there is more to computing than Windows. Some of the most exciting developments in the past few years have been in the realm of free software, which gives everyone the ability to lift the hood, study all the moving parts, and tinker to their heart's content.
The Linux operating system has become become the best known example of free software, but there's much more -- other operating systems like FreeBSD and Open BSD, languages like Perl, Python and Tcl. Many people don't know that much of the infrastructure of the internet depends on free software like sendmail, bind and the Apache web server.
These projects are the work of thousands of volunteers who share a love for taking software apart to see how it works. Free software varies in quality, but the best of it is more reliable than anything you can buy from Microsoft or Apple, because thousands of eyes are available to find and fix bugs.
Perhaps you're familiar with much of this already. If not, here are a few sources of more information:
http://www.ssc.com/linux/ http://www.gnu.org/ http://www.opensource.org/ http://www.perl.com/ You'll also find some good reporting on Linux in Infoworld a few weeks back (June 8 give or take a week). Especially interesting is the description of the key role that Linux played in making the film "The Titanic".
Even if this is not news to you, your friend John may take heart when he learns that Microsoft hasn't taken away our ability to get under the hood.
Warren Jones
My friend John Morrison and I are sitting at an outdoor table at a picnic. Late afternoon, the shadows beginning to lengthen, a bottle of Moosehead beer in hand, and the sussuration of leaves in the summer ear. It is close to, if not actually, heaven.
But John is in a curmudgeonly mood.
"Computers aren't fun any more," he says. "They went the way of cars."
"Cars?" I say.
"Yes, cars. When I was a teenager it was still possible to build a car up from scratch, from parts of other cars. The science of cars was finite and understandable. If you had a wrench and a screwdriver, and you paid attention, you could do the work. And as a kid, you got a feeling of real accomplishment.
"Today, you can't do that any more. Cars don't have 'parts' anymore. They're made of subassemblies, involving advanced technologies, sensors, and microprocessors. You can't even take anything apart without a lot of very expensive tools and two years of certification. Even if you succeed in taking something apart, the chances of getting it to work again are nil. The best expert mechanics can do is toss out the whole subassembly, and get a new one.
"The same course of events has overtaken computers. In the early days, if you were enterprising, you could teach yourself any part of it, from writing code to stripping a machine down. I created a database program all by myself, with no training, when I was in graduate school. It was awkward and had a lousy interface, but it worked. And that was a great feeling. It's so satisfying to do something yourself, from the ground up, and get it to go.
"Now, it's all Windows. Where cars are all subassemblies, Windows is all objects. The creative work has all been done for you, and the interface is so powerful, there is really no way to get in and play around under the hood. In order to be transparent to you, it also has to be untouchable by you. I find it demoralizing.
"Even people whose job it is to understand computers don't have anything to do. In our department, if you have a problem, the IT people just say, 'Reboot or reinstall.' That's all they know.
"But John," I said to him, "there are all sorts of things you can do within Windows or Macintosh. Don't you think it's satisfying for a computer user to learn how to mail-merge a document the first time, or conduct a Boolean string search? Maybe the focus has shifted from 'How do I get this thing to do what I want?' to 'What do I want to do?'"
I thought that was a valid objection. It's not as if Windows has killed off creativity. The computer has become a tool for doing work. It's no longer the work itself.
"Computers allow creativity," John says. "They're wonderful in that they allow you to write, count, compute, and communicate faster and simpler. No argument there -- I sure don't want to get rid of them!
"But what if you want the computer to do something it's never done before? You can only be creative within channels that the software companies lay down. Computers can let you dance, but you can't make them dance. Not any more.
"The technology that makes it possible for us to ride in safe, air-conditioned, digitally-controlled family minivans to see the hotrod show has -- ironically -- makes it impossible to build hotrods. In 2038, I guarantee, you won't see a parade of lovingly restored 1998 cars."
"Huh," is all I can say.
John looked at me and shook his head a little sadly. "You never built a car, did you?
"No," I tell him. "I never did. Did you?"
"Yes, I did. It was a beauty" He frowns. "Actually, I hate working on cars."
"Then why are you making such a fuss?"
"Because," he says, "I also hate that they've made it impossible for my children to work on cars if they want to."
We each take another swig from our bottles. Around us, the cottonwood fluff drifts through the afternoon light. Our kids, laughing on the lawn, are sailing a frisbee to each other, and our dogs, tethered to a picnic table-leg, watching the plastic disk floating in the air, look on and softly whimper.
America's Best-Loved Technology Writer(TM), Michael Finley has a free gift for visitors to http://mfinley.com.
Michael Finley is co-author with Harvey Robbins of
"A masterpiece of explanatory journalism!" - New Orleans Picayune |
I enjoyed serving this essay up for you, and I did
it for free. But I am a few clients lighter right now than I need to be,
and a bit of revenue never hurts.
If you'd like to contribute to this site, consider dropping a $1 tip in the "Honor
Box" here. Think of it as a voluntary subscription. Just click the CLICK TO
PAY image here. Thanks! - Mike
Total tips, year
to date: $203.00 - MANY THANKS!
