>Yes, yes, etc; .. but this is all taking things a little ~too~ literally, isn't
>it? Are we not all allowed to be a little rhetorical and exuberant from time to
>time? Almost every happy child avers that his/her mother is 'the best mum in
>the world' - do we start quibbling about it, or just enjoy the devotion?
>
>I still vote for wine, over coffee...


Organization: Composers Desktop project



Title: the world is not a desktop

What is the metaphor for the computer of the future? The intelligent agent?
The television (multimedia)? The 3-D
graphics world (virtual reality)? The StarTrek ubiquitous voice computer?
The GUI desktop, honed and refined? The
machine that magically grants our wishes? I think the right answer is "none
of the above", because I think all of these
concepts share a basic flaw: they make the computer visible.

A good tool is an invisible tool. By invisible, I mean that the tool does
not intrude on your consciousness; you focus
on the task, not the tool. Eyeglasses are a good tool -- you look at the
world, not the eyeglasses. The blind man tapping
the cane feels the street, not the cane. Of course, tools are not invisible
in themselves, but as part of a context of use.
With enough practice we can make many apparently difficult things
disappear: my fingers know vi editing commands
that my conscious mind has long forgotten. But good tools enhance invisibility.