384 karma · joined May 14, 2009
As a developer-designer, I've had a few ideas around potential services around this stuff that I wish I had the time and resources to execute because I can totally see this market exploding right now… :)
I digress… :)
PS: I did know about Instagram hitting 100 million users… I actually chose to put the number of users at the time of acquisition, as whoever had bought them was bound to increase their user numbers exponentially (if nothing else, for the sheer publicity such an acquisition provides).
PS: I'm a startup co-founder, we use Basecamp profusely and we love it.
Not trying to be toxic, but that post is so badly written it hurt my eyes before I was able to grok the actual content…
As to what I am/am not, it should be pointless: you should analyze my argument and agree/disagree based solely on itself. Am I the greatest writer there is? No. Will I never change my opinion? No. Is this a rational argument based on the information given to me? Yes. And to this point, I haven't changed my opinion (but may in the future).
As to my domain being blocked, I'm sorry: I never spammed, hosted spam and it doesn't even contain any ads. I would argue against "corporate proxies" but that'd be off-topic… ;)
You think my opinion is "wild". Do you have any hard evidence to back that up? ;)
That's how I feel about Microsoft's decision. I've tried the metro apps and while they impress visually, they fail to help me remember them the next time I need to do something they exist for; they all look alike and lack distinction and uniqueness.
This is obviously all subjective, but I believe we'll see some major changes in the next 2-3 years to the Metro UI: Windows on the desktop users won't use much of it (not the Metro look, the native Metro apps)… Put a non-tech person using Windows 8 and you'll get "huh?" and "where's A or B?" at an alarming rate. A new user to OS X (coming from Windows) will have less trouble finding what he/she wants than coming to Windows 8 IMO, and that's not good for Microsoft.
Again, Microsoft has great designers and Metro has some awesome design ideas but it's, in my opinion :), fundamentally undesigned because it fails to make the hard choice of defining what is its purpose and use. :)
I'm not rooting my point in a specific argument: it's my opinion based on experience and an understanding of the corporate "identity crisis" the Metro UI is being dropped into… :)
Furthermore, the lack of differentiation between apps is a bad decision in my opinion. It's hard to figure out which app/feature you're using without reading the titles/headers… I don't know about you but that doesn't seem like a good choice in an interface for a desktop/multi-tasking device. Again, Metro is being developed without a clear identity, hence my opinion.
But yes: it is my opinion and yes, you may disagree. Opinions are subjective. :)
Regarding the architecture, I was thinking specifically of the mixed delivery of a whole new one (Metro/touch-driven) and the old/current one (classic Windows/mouse-driven). I've read quite a few articles about this but one I find myself agreeing with the most is Gruber's: http://daringfireball.net/2011/06/windows_8_fundamentally_fl... -- the main point is Microsoft failed to make the choice to potentially come up with two products, one designed for Touch and this new Metro architecture (ARM, HTML5 apps, etc…) and one geared for the desktop computer. They're so caught up on their perceived value of the "Windows" brand, they're failing to make the hard decisions…
As to your second question, I think my above point also covers this one in part. Microsoft is in a position to make some radical changes and improve on a product but avoids making those choices. Even the Surface will have a version with a full-blown CPU and ability to run desktop apps. Metro is caught in the middle of this "identity crisis" and, as such, fails to deliver a good experience in either camp. Furthermore, I think the core design model of "colored boxes" fails to deliver the unique experience that each app can offer: my experience with the "Music" app can't be the same as the "Control Panel". It becomes forgettable and everything blends together way too much. Yes, this particular point maybe a bit subjective but I'm sure some UX specialists could pitch in and give the hard evidence. My point is a "gut feeling" but informed by knowledge of what a good experience is… :)
Thank you for your comment! :)
I just wrote a comment/follow-up from the flip-side perspective: someone wired to be a "Shit Umbrella" who is stuck in a world where you have to be a "rockstar coder" first – http://levifig.com/articles/a-tale-of-priorities/
Anti-virus software is like drugs: they'll preload a little quality free thing on your new computer and then remind you (every two hours) when your 60-day trial has expired AND YOUR COMPUTER IS AT RISK OH NOES KABOOM!!! Then, they'll gladly charge you for that feeling of safety when no software can protect against human stupidity, which is the root cause of most virus infections.
In other news, the world has moved past Norton and you should get a Mac.
My main point, however, and this in reply to your post (that I have no doubt it was honest and on the back of some tough thinking) was that you simply started using the wrong tool for the job and then, realizing this, found a more appropriate tool. Nothing wrong with that, but your post came across as "Ruby sucks so I'm going with C++".
Having said that, I'm glad you "saw the light" and I do wish you the best of lucks in your development endeavors! :)
And remember: your next endeavor might be in Ruby, C++, whatever… Just do some thinking beforehand and choose the right tool for the job to avoid "rotting code", which we all know is incredibly frustrating! ;)
Why were you trying to write a game in Ruby to start with? You didn't "switch back to C++", you simply realized you were trying to use a wrench to tight a philips screw…
-.-
I don't stand by publishers but this seems to be the other extreme. The consumer loses in both, IMO…