A couple of technology disappointments got into the news today. Both involve products that are freely provided. One has to wonder: If the products weren’t free, would we be seeing the same level of problems with them? And: Shouldn’t product quality and customer usability always be the top focus, regardless of product cost?
Example 1: Ubuntu
Earlier [...]
From the category archives:
Opinion
When Technology Disappoints
Counterproductive Closed Minds
I have a problem with George Bush. Same with Richard Dawkins.
If I were to set down and talk with them, I could find that they are two of the finest gentlemen I could ever meet. But, based on what I currently know, I do not think I would care to meet either of them.
Both seem [...]
Misdirected Charity
While having breakfast at a local diner this morning, I noticed a newspaper editorial that said that charitable contributions in the US are expected to total about $200 Billion this year.
Sounds fantastic, doesn’t it?
The kicker is that only about 10% of these contributions are directed at organizations that help the needy. The remainder goes to [...]
The Best Products Are Not Always Obvious
I have been a big user of Google products for the past few years. I would not call myself a Google fanboy, but I considered their products to be innovative and in some cases, such as their search engine, to be the leaders of the pack.
Then yesterday I got my first dose of disillusionment with [...]
Some Reflections on My PDAs
I have owned a bunch of PDAs over the years, and was recently pondering which of those were the best. As you might suspect, I concluded that there is no “best,” but that some are better for certain types of activities and some are better for others. The following summarizes my thoughts on which ones [...]
