Re: Cory Doctorow on iPad, Apple ][+

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

DaveSchmenk wrote:
> On Apr 5, 4:14 am, "Don" <numberfiveplus...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > "Michael J. Mahon" <mjma...@aol.com> wrote in messagekN6dnXtasfnOACTWnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@giganews.com">news:kN6dnXtasfnOACTWnZ2dnUVZ_oGdnZ2d@giganews.com...
> >
> >
> > > There remains the point that Apple seems intent on delivering
> > > technology that "is indistinguishable from magic"...  ;-)
> >
> > I think most technology is going that way ... even the lowly light bulb has
> > morphed from a device [the incandescent lamp] that can be understood by any
> > high school graduate to a new form [CFL] that requires a bit more than
> > knowledge of basic electricity to fathom the workings of. :-) [I took one
> > apart and was amazed at the dense packing of electronics embedded in the
> > little screw-base.]
>
>
> ...and will soon have it's own IP address.
>
>
> > OTOH most people are not Geeks and don't care if they understand *how* it
> > works so long as it let's them check Aunt Bessie's Facebook page. :-)
> > --
> > be seeing you ... Don
> > Don Melton, Sr. Consultant, Vatic Technologies Limited
>
>
> I think the point from the article is that the engineers/scientists/
> designers that are creating these products came of age with mind-
> expanding products such as the Apple ][.  How will the future
> generation of products be understood if the kids from today only
> understand the technology superficially (ooh, look how shiny my FB
> page looks)?  Maybe the kids in India and China are the ones who will
> are understanding the technology - I don't see it around here.  Even
> if products are designed for the masses and to be foolproof, it would
> be nice if there was more of a "discovery mode" that didn't involve a
> $99 yearly fee and high barrier to entry.
>
> Bah, humbug.

I completely agree, Dave.

That is my problem with "magic" devices that offer no point of
entry for understanding/hacking short of destruction.

It's a little like what "computer software" has become--scripting
languages and Flash programming, instead of algorithms and data
structures.  (Thankfully, there remain some real programmers, but
you surely appreciate what a rare breed you are becoming. ;-)

We are in danger of losing our collective ability to create the
mechanisms on which we have all come to depend.  (Reminds me of
what I used to consider far-fetched science fiction scenarios.)

Of course, given the economics of the situation, we would never
actually lose that ability--it would just become concentrated in
fewer and less innovative (more risk-averse) corporate hands.

-michael

NadaNet and AppleCrate II: parallel computing for Apple II computers!
Home page: http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon

"The wastebasket is our most important design
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