random thought

I went to a talk by Bob Spence at the Cambridge Microsoft research centre http://www.ukupa.org.uk/cambridge/archives/000425.html
If you ever get chance to hear him speak I would recommend it – staggering all the blindnesses that we humans have!

It is indeed what the user does.
And very important inputs to what the user does is what the software encourages the user to do…what it will let the user do…and what it attempts to prevent the user from doing.

And that is where the soul of Microsoft is … with the user.

Freedom; what a concept.
You can attempt to litigate creativity into containment, but you will never kill or control those who have the seemingly endless resources to innovate new solutions.
Take away my hammer, and I’ll use a rock to pound nails. Take away my nails, and I’ll use wooden pegs or weave ropes to bind projects into stability. Take away my tools, and I’ll make more to take their place. Expressions of creativity will always find an outlet, be it chalk lines on cement, charcoal on paper, or ink drawings on the back of business cards. Innovation will out, eventually, regardless.
How do you compete with free? How can one compete with endless innovation? The only way I know is to pick you target markets wisely, price competitively, and never rest on your accomplishments. There will always be someone out there better, brighter, and willing to do whatever it takes to create the next best release for no other reasons than for the sake of creativity and for no compensation other than bragging rights.
You eat what you kill and you keep on moving, for tomorrow your efforts becomes someone else’s targeted potential market.
If any venture wants to survive, they best be hanging a ‘Shh! Creative destruction at work’ sign from their rafters and keep out-innovating the rest of the world because after all, coasting is a downhill affair.

Not exactly rocket science though is it, to be stating the bleedin obvious (in your best John Cleese voice). A timely reminder, however.
As to Microsoft having a soul? I think that’s a somewhat Faustian assumption.

Reminiscent of an old (circa 1995) Apple ad that went like:
“It’s not how powerful the computer is, it’s how powerful the computer makes You.”

detractors – what detractors – lemme at em.
FYI – my blog tag line: Technology changes. Humans don’t.