Behind the happy interface, more complex reality

Article Abstract:

Neal Stephenson sees the graphical user interface, or GUI, as a manifestation of a larger mindset, one that doesn't want to deal with complexity. In his view, a GUI, by presenting an edited list of choices to the user, proscribes that user's reality, narrowing it down to ward off a sense of being overwhelmed. He worries that this simplification, which began as a means to make technology more widely accessible, may impoverish our experience of reality. Mr. Stephenson has written at length (presumably using an Emacs editor, on a PC running Linux) on the GUI theme in an essay, "In the Beginning Was the Command Line," which can be downloaded from the Web at http://www.cryptonomicon.com/beginning.html.

United States, Authors, Writers, Beliefs, opinions and attitudes, Graphical user interfaces, Graphical user interface, Stephenson, Neal

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Fight of the (next) century; converging technologies put Sony and Microsoft on a collision course

Article Abstract:

The convergence of computer technology with other consumer electronics products will result in a battle for preeminence between Sony Corp. and Microsoft. The key to the struggle will be in establishing the dominant operating system for an array of interactive products such as satellite television, smart telephones, video games and electronic toys. Sony is pushing the Aperios software against Microsoft Windows CE. The underlying conflict is over whether the consumer electronics systems of the future will be controlled by a PC, as sought by Microsoft, or whether the appliances will have control mechanisms built independently into them, as sought by Sony.

Prepackaged software, Computer Software, Software Publishers, Household audio and video equipment, Consumer Electronics, Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing, Computer software industry, Software industry, Software, Microsoft Corp., Forecasts and trends, Consumer electronics industry, Sony Corp., MSFT

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