Eric Sink on iPad

Last night I (Eric Sink) saw this article, which basically says the one day soon computers won't present the user with the ability to manipulate 'files' anymore.
Suddenly, I had stuff to say. But I've been using Twitter, which limits me to 140 characters. So, I Tweeted this:

We're heading toward two classes of computers: one for people like me, and one for people like my Mom.

(And BTW, Mom, usually when I mention you on the Internet, I'm not really talking about you. You're a metaphor for "normal people", those who use computers to get things done, as opposed to geeks like me, who use computers just because they are shiny.) Anyway, I thought the tweet would be enough. It wasn't.

In the beginning, we were the only ones here. Normal people didn't use computers at all. Only the geeks used computers, and we certainly weren't using them to get anything done. I remember my Mom saying that she would never use a computer. (Mom, this one is actually you.) And I certainly can't blame her for thinking that at the time. She had no reason to see computers as a way of getting things done. All she knew is that I would periodically run into the family room to announce to my parents that I had just shaved three more instructions out of the main loop so now my graphics move faster. And Mom just wanted me to at least stack my Byte magazines in the corner so she could get the vacuum cleaner through.

Fast forward to today. Computers, by and large, are still designed for geeks. This is why we all buy T-shirts that say "No, I will not fix your computer". The genius of the iPad is that it cannot get things like viruses. It is a closed platform. You can't put apps on it. You can't write and distribute software for it without Apple's permission. This is why geeks hate it and normal people will love it.

Your Mom wants a computer she doesn't have to ask you to fix. She is willing to trade power and flexibility to get simplicity. The iPad is another major step. I find this interesting because it raises all kinds of questions:

• The industry is finally ready to sell things that make geeks feel frustrated instead of things that make normal people feel helpless. What does this mean for geeks and our role in society?
  
• How is the terminology going to shake out? Surely we need two different names? Things that geeks use should probably still be called "computers". What should we call the class of devices that helpnormal people manage their Amazon wish list?
  
• We geeks will become the minority market niche. How will this affect the pricing of things? Will there be sufficient economies of
  scale to sell computers to geeks at margins that are tolerable to both buyer and seller?
  
• What kinds of computers/devices will get caught in the middle and suddenly have no place in the world?
  
• What classes of users are going to be special cases? I'm talking about folks that are not geeks but that for some other reason cannot accept the power/simplicity tradeoff of devices designed for normal people.

This is a major wave of change. I don't know the answers to these questions. The only thing that seems clear to me is that Microsoft will miss this wave just like they missed the last one.

Cloud 1 og 2, where do YOU want to be?

TechCrunch talks about the new Cloud. I know where iFacturas will be. Do you?

Manage your FreshBooks expenses on the go

FreshBooks on iPhone and Anroids : "

ExpenseBooks puts all of your expenses in the palm of your hands.

One of the biggest requests we get time after time, is more mobile support for FreshBooks. That’s why we’re happy to announce ExpenseBooks, a mobile expense tracking application brought to you by Mobomo. ExpenseBooks is available today, for both the iPhone and Android smartphones.

ExpenseBooks works directly with your FreshBooks account, and is perfect for those of you that use FreshBooks to keep track of all of your expenses. ExpenseBooks allows you to create, edit and delete expenses on the go. Don’t have constant access to the Internet? No problem! ExpenseBooks lets you work offline and then syncs the data when your connection is back up and running.

Now, you don’t have to wait to get back to your desk to record your latest expense. With ExpenseBooks, you can even do it while your waiter is bringing your change!

ExpenseBooks is available through iTunes and the Android Marketplace (version 1.6 and above). As usual, visit our add-ons page to learn more about ExpenseBooks, and the rest of our add-ons.

Microsoft plays Tag with the bar code

Ars Technica says Microsoft plays Tag with the bar code: "

Microsoft Tag, whose slogan is 'Linking real life with the digital world,' is another stab at digital scanners that aim to connect printed materials with online content. The advantage of Microsoft Tag, which first began as a Microsoft Research project and was unveiled at CES 2009, over previous digital scanner attempts is that it doesn't require a special device. It's simply software that you can load on your cell phone; the phone's camera is used for scanning the bar code and the digital content shows up on the phone, provided your phone is online. Microsoft Tag can run on devices from basic Java phones to smartphones, including Windows Mobile devices, BlackBerrys, and iPhones.

Over the past year, the tags have started showing up in magazines, newspapers, yellow pages, and public transportation tickets, though they can also be placed on business cards, directly on products, and even on large billboards. The tags can link to anything on the Web: be that additional information on a product, interactive content, or just a company's website. CNET has a video up that demonstrates exactly what the technology is all about:

Since advertisers and publishers can set up tags by themselves, and the technology is freely available to try for anyone who is interested, the Microsoft Tag team is only four people right now. Microsoft thus has a little bit of trouble keeping track of everyone that uses the technology since it does not charge companies that want to create a tag or for the reader software itself. 'It's the hyperlink in the physical world. We believe the basic services we provide now are going to be free,' Marja Koopmans, Marketing Director of Online Services at Microsoft, told CNET. Microsoft may charge for more advanced services sometime in the future though, she said.

Erik Meijer and Team: Cloud Data Programmability - Connecting the Distributed Dots | Going Deep | Channel 9

Connecting the Distributed Dots | Going Deep | Channel 9

You are your website

Building a brand on the Web:

Where customers spend their time is where you build your brand. Organizations need to stop trying to use traditional advertising techniques to create false images. For an increasing number of customers, you are your website. It's about time senior management woke up to that fact.

MVVM, MVC and MIX10

We got the MVC inventor, Trygve Reenskaug in as an mentor, in order to inspire and check that we made a true MVC implementation of our product, and And after struggling with the MVVM variant a half year, we are pleased to see that we are not alone ;-)

Shawn Wildermuth: "The MIX conference this year had an open call for sessions, and 12 sessions were voted by the public out of 169. Surprisingly (or maybe not that surprisingly in fact), 3 sessions out of the 12 have the MVVM pattern in their title."