GRAVITY TWENTY FIVE -- Sunday, October 11, 1992

Just watched the debate, and heard Ross Perot for the first time. I'm not sure he could pull off what he's promising, but one thing is clear. He doesn't sound like a politician. He steered clear of well-rehearsed rhetoric.

This isn't a forum for politics. But there's a lesson here, one that's
important for our discussion. People's eyes glaze over when they hear the same old well-washed jargon, whether it's politics or computers.

If I hear 'user friendly' one more time, I'm going to smack someone. I wish I could obliterate the phrase 'computer literacy'. I mean, come on. While we're at it, let's become advocates for VCR literacy. Get people to set their clocks and record on seperate stations. A vital living skill.

LET'S STOP TALKING OURSELVES INTO A RUT.

I read plenty of industry trades, and sometimes I could just scream. So much posturing, and so much hype about incremental advances. There's merit to the real advances, the ones happening in academic environments, but the industry itself really disappoints me. People talk about the computer revolution, and use computer technology again and again as an example of a fast-growth industry, but where really is this growth?

What's changed in the last ten years? We now have 'desktop publishing', which is quite something. The buzzword is unfortunate (I won't even start), but the essence of it is a good thing. 'Multi-media' and 'computer-aided education' are becoming a reality (finally).

But what else? Other than switching to a graphical user environment, what has happened in the software industry in the last ten years?

Bulletin boards, CompuServe, and other on-line services have regressed. Prodigy was a joke (though it may have gotten better since I used it two years ago). People aren't using these resources as much as they might because the software that runs them is ... old news. Either too confusing, or too simplified to be really useful. The one that comes close is Bix. If you've never used Bix, you should try it. It's also the cheapest.

Again, why am I telling you this? Because it's my disatisfaction with the software industry's stagnant state that drives me to design Gravity. I look at all the trends, I look at all the hype, I look at new and old design ideas, and I say: Look Farther.

Let's get something going that excites people. That challenges the not-yet-very-old software scene. That takes in the good stuff and chucks out the lame stuff. That's got the beauty of a time-tested mathematical formula, and the poetic appeal of a well-turned phrase.

I've barely begun to describe my efforts, and quickly admit that my designs need work. But more than anything... understand my intent.

Great things are possible!

This industry is brand new. I can't think of a job that has more potential to change the way people live than software development. It's brand new. We're just now beginning to explore what we can do with these machines, and unless we stop talking the same old way about our incremental advances and take the step outside into something really new, we'll lose our audience.

People get tired of typical talk. You want a revolution? Stop talking about computer literacy. Instead create software that's more appealing, and write clear honest inspiring instructions for it. Without buzzwords.