Computer: April 2008 Archives
I was going through my old MarsEdit drafts, when I saw this one. I realized it was almost a post, so here it comes!
If you like computer archeology, you'll love this video from the early 90s of Steve Jobs demonstrating NextStep. What I find amazing is how much of OS X is already there, and it is also somehow sad that so little has changed. Where are virtual reality, visual programming by example, voice driven interfaces, jet packs, and flying cars! Is it the year 2000 yet?
Seriously, it seems that the only recent real improvement in the interface of computers is the iPhone. Multi-touch screen and position sensor are a great way forward. But it still feels like a very small step, after all this time.
Following a link from I forgot where, I read this amazing article on MagicInk by Bret Victor. I really recommend that you read it too, maybe just to look at the pretty interface pictures. This article made me realize how important interface design may be, both for the pleasure of using the interface as for the clarity and amount of information it may convey. This also reminded me why I've loved using Macs for the last few years: for most software on this platform, it seems that a lot of thought and polish is given to the interface. It's usually very small things, but the whole point is that it's small things, and that the interface quickly goes away by becoming intuitive. (And I mean becoming intuitive even if it sounds contradictory.) As a related aside, I heartily recommend watching this amazing video by Edward Tufte on the iPhone interface.
As I wanted to see what other things Bret Victor might have written, I decided to visit his web site. And there ... waouh. I was floored. I just love his design. Because it's fresh, because it's fluid. Because it's dynamic and it pulls you in. And because I lost too much time diving into it.
And going back to the initial article, to check a couple things, I noticed this quote in the About the author Section:
I currently work at Apple, creating things I can't talk about.
Nice. Very nice. Can't wait to see what they are.
