Most of us are getting used to things, especially when they’re making something easy. Personally, I’m not the type of geek. I like gadgets but only if they bring some added value for me (coolness isn’t counted here). I think I won’t be mistaken with assumption that majority of people are quite similar in that area.
For me the key features are usability and reliability, possibly in every situation. Maybe I’m too old or maybe just too lazy to make archeology to learn how to run some weird configuration of my hardware, although some time ago it was fun for me. Now I’m more of a plug and play person. A new item? First, I want it to work and I want it fast. Second, maybe I’ll think about all the advanced stuff.
The same is with software. I relatively often stay with defaults because they’re fair enough. However, I don’t like having my settings changed, that’s what I ranted about last time. One thing is the upgrade of software; at least I receive the new version in that case. Another is the new hardware. It’s a pain in the ass. I don’t know a single person who likes changing the computer to the new one. And unfortunately I was lately moving to a new laptop.
Unfortunately? I can’t say it was a pleasure for me, but it was probably the nicest major hardware upgrade ever. Why? Over past couple of years I’m moving more and more to web applications. My browser has about six tabs that are always opened. E-mail client (yeah “client”), RSS reader, statistics for the websites I work on, bugtracker etc. I’m seriously considering Google Docs & Spreadsheets as my main office platform.
Where’s the difference? Do the web applications give me more features? Definitely not, but as far as they’re good enough, it’s OK. Thing I get is the easiness of moving between different computers. As I was in process of moving I added the feed to Google Reader on the old laptop. I was reading it on the new one a couple of minutes later without moving a little finger. No installation whatsoever. I was even a bit surprised that changes in configuration I’ve done before are still there. It’s the power of the web.
For me it’s an occasional change of hardware, but I know people who work with different machines on everyday basis. For them it’s much more important than for me. Yeah, I hear you, the web isn’t safe. Yeah, I’ve heard about disappearing mails but for most of us things stored on Google server are safer than on our personal computers. I don’t want to think what kind of problems I’d have if my laptop was stolen. And I know much more people who had their laptops stolen than those who lost their data stored on Google servers. From the latter group I know no one.
The only problem I see with that scenario is still lack of internet connections coverage, which makes it harder to move everything to the web. I’m writing this post going to my routine trip by train to Warsaw where there’s still no WiFi access point. Nevertheless, I become more and more addicted to the internet connection, as even games I play occasionally now need one.
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Yeah, join the club! When I was young I was hoping Microsoft would make changing hardware and doing upgrades easier. But they absolutely do not care about our precisely crafted configurations. Examples are many, most of them around managing personal metadata repositories.
The primary reason I have moved to Firefox was the Google Browser Sync – at least I have my cookies and links and browser sessions “out there”.
We have new Microsoft Office version n+1, yet still the words we keep on adding to the spellcheckers are lost when we upgrade laptops. Bummer.
The mobile carriers do not get it either. Last week my wife spent three hours moving the address book from the old to the new phone, with the help of Bluetooth and a spare so called “high capacity” (250 entries, give me a break!) SIM card. I use ActiveSync equipped business phone and while it breaks often, it takes 3 minutes to bring it back – set up an Internet connection, email account and place a digital certificate, the rest (800 contacts, 100 calendar entries, lots of tasks etc.) is one – click restored from the server over the air.