[PLUG] a RANT, was Re: Ubuntu Long Term Support?

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Tue, Aug 05, 2014 at 10:45:51AM -0700, Ronald Chmara wrote:
> Nice rant.
> 
> Unfortunately, the "self-indulgent, change-hypnotized, aspergers-crippled,
> new-hardware junkies" are the ones *trying* to make things so users "can
> express their needs and desires in everyday, sloppy, inprecise human
> language, and have those desires translate automatically into an updated,
> secure, bug-resistant stack of software and hardware that is open and
> maintainable all the way down to the transistors on the silicon"...
> 
> Which means that until we reach that (impossible) utopia, things are going
> to change fast, change often, and make people who want consistency pretty
> uncomfortable.

Q.E.D.

In the real world, not the software one, vast change occurs behind
standardized interfaces.  When I plug in a toaster, it works,
regardless of whether the power comes from California or British
Columbia, coal plant or solar cell.  The same toaster would have
worked in 1930, and will work in 2030.  Interoperability and
consistency permits modern civilization, without which no programmer
would have a physically stable environment to program in, much less
a vast network of interoperable standard hardware that can move their
code-typing to the far side of the planet in a fraction of a second.
  
As long as some in the software community confuse "change fast,
change often" with "open and maintainable", and are allowed near
the computers that ordinary people use, "it never ends, this shit" 

http://www.theonion.com/video/sony-releases-new-stupid-piece-of-shit-that-doesnt,14309/

Decades ago, some wise and patient engineering managers taught me
that no matter how clever I am, if I don't design products that can
be manufactured, maintained, and used by ordinary people lacking my
peculiar obsessions, I am wasting my time and the salary my company
or customers pay me.  True cleverness consists of wrapping a great
new insight in familiar packaging, so others can carry the project
forward and I can move on to solve other problems.  Who wants the
same boring task for life?  Who is stupid enough to pay for it?

http://www.amazon.com/The-Inmates-Are-Running-Asylum/dp/0672326140

Keith

P.S. - if you think a toaster is simple, just try to
build one:  http://www.thetoasterproject.org/

P.P.S.  ... http ... foo.com ... thank you Tim Berners-Lee and
Brad Templeton for some surprisingly durable standards.   Your
shit still works after decades, the addons maybe sorta.

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com