And then you add multiple layers - an end users perspective
Definitely in over my head here but I remember using 386 computers with dial up Bulletin Boards and I was captivated by this discussion.
The bloat is obvious to the tinkerer like myself who has used Linux for the past 25 years. I think the definition of end user is far too myopic for most commercial OS and enterprise software planners and engineers.
As an engineer (metal and concrete, not 1s and 0s) working for a global firm, the simple truth is that it takes 5-10 seconds to open a simple HD resolution png file from my work PC. I’ve even defaulted to using MS Paint as my image viewer because the latest preview or photo tool takes way longer. It usually takes a full minute to wait for Word to open simple files (heaven forbid opening a 50MB report file sitting on the network). The layers of bloat and slowdown for security checks makes a materiel impact on the speed of work.
There may be good reasons for all this. I guess my point is, there seems to be little to no feedback loop between the actual use case, including standard environmental factors like security, IT snooping, and AI observation, which culminate in an experience which is significantly degraded from even 10 years ago. Web based tools are unreliable for all but the simplest tasks. The gap between the sold experience and reality is large and growing larger each year.
Not trying to make this a rant, but just consider this the next time your city floats a multimillion dollar/pound bond to pay for the next water infrastructure upgrade. What is the cost of lost efficiency at scale? And who pays for it?
Biting the hand that feeds IT
