dmv wrote:
] ] We've barely moved forward since those days of word
] ] processors and spreadsheets. Since 1988, the only major
] ] new software categories that have been created are email,
] ] IM, browsers and blogging tools. For all the flack, noise
] ] and supposed development -- we have barely innovated
] ] the initial concept of what a tool is.

I agree with the spirit of this article. It's kinda funny... how all these people and developments are connected. I was an avid user of both Videoworks and Hypercard in the late 80s. Dave Winer and I had many a great conversation in the mid 90s on the potentials of the Internet. Particuarly then, there was a very small community of people who were actually building things then.

I agree that there's definitely plenty of gold to be mined in the things that we already have. The industry doesn't work on this principal. The industry works on constant upgrade cycles and licensing/maintenance fees. The industry doesn't necessary want to upgrade functionality or deliver innovation in products. That would undercut the revenue streams of professional services and integration shops.

Particularly when it comes to Microsoft's domination of the industry, most of the innovation cycle has been ground to a halt. Despite having the biggest R&D budget of any organization in the world, ever, MS doesn't really deliver on a lot of cutting edge innovation to the computing world. Certainly not in the way of products. For an industry that's incented and aligned to keep moving the target as fast as possible, we've hardly progressed as a product set.

I remember the first time I saw a Mac II in 1988. It was amazing because it was the Macintosh OS, but it was in *color*! If you were to show me what Mac OS X looks like today in 1988, I don't think I would be overwhelmed. Sure, I'd be dazzled by the beauty of the graphics, but the functionality isn't all that advanced. Certainly not 20 years worth. I'd be really disappointed by the speech recognition technology. C'mon man! I'm expecting to have my Mac advise me to take a stress pill and talk about my problems with it by now.

I do think that there are new tools all the time. But the bulk of what the industry delivers is just repackaged from 1988.

RE: The New Paradigm of Tools