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> I didn't need a smartphone for this task because there was a real live human being, who brought to the task all of the adaptability and intuition that modern systems lack.

OK, my example was simplistic. I want to find the best chicken tacos in San Francisco. I can't call directory enquiries for that - I have go find reviews. Then call to make a reservation at the place, then find driving directions of how to get there, somehow. In a paper road atlas? Am I having to advocate for the benefits of the internet on Hacker News?

> Realplayer sucked but it was about a thousand times more reliable than the current compatibility crapshoot

Well of course it was, it only had to run on one platform. Compatibility is a lot easier when that's the case. Today we have HD video being played on mobile devices in your pocket. I can't remember the last time I ran into a compatibility problem with online video.

> I used to be able to take a supersonic flight across the country, without having my body inspected via millimeter-wave radar.

That's a political decision, not a technical regression.

> Has anyone set foot on the moon in your lifetime?

No. Can I load, on demand, stunning satellite photography of planets orders of magnitude further away than the moon, on my phone, on the bus to work? You bet.

> That's a political decision, not a technical regression.

It's both. Private supersonic flights are no longer available, and it is more of a pain in the ass to get on the inferior flights that are available.

I could go on, but it's moot -- the only point I'm here to make is that progress always been paired with regression, and it's always going to be a personal decision as to whether the tradeoffs were good ones.

I call BS on the review side. Where is the 'best chicken tacos in San Francisco'?

I have no idea and Yelp is not going to help. So, the fallback is I can ask some friends for advice and directions or use some companies best of list. But, again the internet did almost nothing in this space.

PS: I also had the internet on my phone in 2006 and yes they had maps. EX: http://www.forbes.com/2006/12/08/phones-music-internet-tech-...

Sorry, but I'd be surprised if Google or Siri don't answer your question to "I need the number to the printing company on the east side", it's a pretty trivial thing to lookup. Also, Google and Siri bring you cost efficiency and scale, something you can't easily do with directory enquiries.

> Realplayer sucked but it was about a thousand times more reliable than the current compatibility crapshoot.

So Vorbis/MP3 and WebM/H.264 is not good enough for compatibility over all the browsers?

Pining for RealPlayer? That's a new one.

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