What are the Big Problems in Computing?

In 1906 an Italian economist called Vilfredo Pareto noticed that 80% of the land was owned by 20% of people. Thirty five years later, a Quality-Management focussed consultant called Joseph Juran re-discovered the work of Pareto and named a principle the general principle after Pareto. This principle is also known as the 80-20 rule.

The rule states that there is often a non-linear relationship between resources and their control. For example, the richest 20% of the worlds population enjoy a disproportionate 80% of the world's income. The principle has been applied across many situations…

• 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers
• 80% of your support issues comes from 20% of your customers
• 80% of your achievements are accompllished in a certain 20% of your time

etc…

If this principle could be applied to the big problems in computing, what would they be? Where could we spend our 20% time to get a 80% result?

From my perspective, and in no particular order:

Cost of ownership

There are many, many people in the world who couldn't dream of owning a computer. Or being able to afford a network connection. Even for those that do, there are ongoing costs: network, upgrading hardware and software every handful of years. Mobile phones are closing the gap, becoming more powerful and bringing computing, and the net to those who traditionally couldn't afford a PC.

General Learning Curve

I know many people who distrust or avoid computers where possible. From my perspective, there is a space in the market for a simpler computing device.…perhaps that's iPhone, the Kindle or a PC running Google Chrome OS. My girlfriend told me of her frustration of trying to find something in application preferences…which for her degrades into browsing for the particular setting. 

Often people have some way of describing what they want to achieve, but can't find that feature. Ot don't know if the software supports it. The trend to make all functions searchable is a good one. I'd like to see that extend. I can type 'wallpaper' into Apple's Preferences and have 'Desktop' appear — I'd like to see this for all features of all applications, and applications themselves. Type 'edit pictures' and get Photoshop. 

Managing, Installing and Upgrading Applications

About 2 weeks is the maximum run I'll get before some piece of software I own asks me to update. And yes, I know Skitch is guilty of this. Update your OS and you'll probably need to update the majority of your applications, and perhaps some device drivers will break. The wonderful Sparkle library by Andy Matuschak has made the update process for a LOT of 3rd party mac software significantly better (Apple, are you listening?). The application install process has improved in leaps and bounds in recent years, but it's still a lot of mouseclicks and attention, and occasional frustration for all PC and Windows users. Linux imo is doing a much better job of the experience.

Backups

I've lost data in the past. People close to me have lost a LOT of data — irreplaceable documents, photos etc. In the age of digital cameras, etc., it's completely possible to lose years of memories in one HD crash or similar. Keeping copies of these documents in the cloud seems to helping out here. 

Privacy, Security and Viruses

Not much I can say here, but a slow cultural swing towards a clearer understanding of the threats and the non-threats.

Is Chrome OS the Answer?

I didn't expect to be writing this, but could Google's upcoming OS be the answer to a lot of these big problems?

• Free
• User data in the cloud
• Plans for free or subsidised wifi access
• Simplified OS

Comments

[Max Howell]

Ways the Linux update experience is not so hot:

1) Updates appear everyday, 100s of MBs a week
2) You have to type your password in for everything, Apple got it right IMO where user land apps (mostly) don't require root. It's not good to be conditioned to type your password in so often.

Otherwise honestly, I'm not 100% convinced Linux is better for updates. It is however probably "as good". They have what is effectively an "App store" for installation. So I could agree that that is better. Although if the app you want isn't in the synaptic (or equivalent), there is no such thing as a universal binary on Linux (generally).

[apere006]

How exactly does 100 mbs of updates make it bad? If there is a 100 mbs of improvements and security fixes for your current software, wouldn't you want to know and have the choice to automatically apply them? Or would you rather to stick your head in the sand and not know about the fixes so you never need to update? If you want to stay up to date on a mac or pc, you would need to know the how to update ever piece of software on your computer separately.

[Keith Lang]

I can see the 100's of MBs being a problem, I also understand what apere006 is getting at.

I'm no Linux user, so can anyone tell me if there is much redundancy in the updates? That is, instead of 100MB a week, could there be just 400MB every 6 months?

[apere006]

I'm not sure what you mean by redundancy. If you do not check your linux system for 6 months there will be more 400 mb but I guess not THAT much more, because you missed so many updates in between that you don't need to download.

You can have the choice to not update in 6 months but again you miss out on all the updates in the mean time.