The desktop I'd like to see
I don't think I'm being fusty for suggesting that most computer users see the computer as a tool for better living, not as a thing in itself that's designed for their delight. So why are developers still pushing the desktop race toward richer interfaces whose existence is supposed to justify itself?
Things have gotten to the point where Microsoft has to release its latest operating system in a kind of two-tier offering, one with all of the compositing and 3D Aero effects that take advantage of recent graphics cards, and the other directed at users with systems that lack these cards, or with laptops that raise concerns about battery life.
No surprise--Microsoft has been loading up its software and loading down users' hardware for years. But the open source world has pursued a comparable path since the Xgl was introduced for the X Window System. It, too, takes advantage of modern graphics cards to compete with proprietary desktops on the basis of dazzle.
You don't have to write back to tell me that a good use of color, icons, and other graphical features can save people time and prevent errors--I know that, and I'm not using this blog to dwell on the pros and cons of compositing desktops. I could point out that saving time and eliminating errors doesn't seem to be raised as the purpose for advances everybody seems happy to label eye candy. What I want to write about is how to save a lot more time with a functional approach to the desktop.
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