Response to "Nobody Hates Software More Than Software Developers"
Coding Horror: Nobody Hates Software More Than Software Developers
I absolutely feel this way. Software development has many different conventions that are supposed to be followed, but mostly are only followed by good developers. Most software requires much knowledge to operate, even for very basic operations. My parents had a problem with GMail yesterday, for example. It wasn't exactly a problem, it was just a lack of understanding. Scanning pictures and documents, burning cds, and other things people need to do daily should NOT require any prior knowledge. Apple in the 70s was aiming for this, and their success with the iPod is a great example of beautiful technology that is easy to use. All software should be intuitive and attractive.
Currently, it isn't. This is a period of time where bad software is the norm. Mostly it's because the industry is still (relatively) in its infancy; 30 years is not very long for software practices to develop. It's also due to the very volatile, dual nature of software. You must have technical skills, but in order to write good, usable, attractive software (or web sites), you must be creative and have an eye for design and taste. These are extremely rare to find side-by-side. Another reason for this is because of how new the industry is. People have been living with automobiles for nearly a century, so it's 100% intuitive how to operate a car or truck. Nobody gets frustrated because putting the gear shift into "D" doesn't do what they thought. Software is so diverse that these expectations are still being built in the public consciousness. Plus, it turns out anticipating how people will use something is utterly difficult. It's hard to get right, but it's not impossible. The same instinct that forces me to correct people on definitions and terms in day to day life comes into play when teaching people (my parents, for example) how to use a certain piece of software. Most of the time it's horrible software, so I feel that I'm teaching, but teaching someone to use horrible software will mold their expectation, and I hate that. I hate that people are learning to expect difficulty and unfamiliarity with software. It shouldn't be that way. Most of the time it is, but that will change over time, hopefully. That's the goal, and that's one of the reasons I love what I do so much. It's a deceptively young industry, so anyone with a moderate amount of skill will find that there is tons of wiggle room, room to explore and create.
