RE: NYT on Dertouzous' fight for *simplicity* ?!?

Joe Barrera (joebar@MICROSOFT.com)
Thu, 26 Jun 1997 16:49:27 -0700

> Saffo observed, "We ask users to pay for the privilege of being beta
> testers." And the users do pay. For the moment, the economics of
computers
> are such, Saffo said, that "I would fire the CEO of any company that
held
> off its product until it was ready."

> The answer, Dertouzos said, is that consumers must demand simple,
usable
> machines that work more like cars than science projects. Turn them on
and
> drive. No one would buy a minivan that had a 600-page manual on how to
> drive it. Why should people do that with computers?

Ah, the age-old question of "how do we force the masses to want what we
know is good for them?"

Maybe we could set up a few re-education camps.

- Joe

Joseph S. Barrera III (joebar@microsoft.com)
http://research.microsoft.com/~joebar
Phone, Office: (415) 778-8227; Cellular: (415) 601-3719; Home: (415)
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