Thread by @geoffreylitt, 1/ I used to think specialized software to replace messy spreadsheets was [...]

Geoffrey Litt

geoffreylitt

1/ I used to think specialized software to replace messy spreadsheets was unequivocal progress. Now I'm more conflicted.

Feels a bit like saying "Find the people who are still cooking at home, and sell them more restaurant food" https://twitter.com/jasoncrawford/status/1177403618816749568

https://twitter.com/jasoncrawford/status/1177403618816749568

2/ Yes, the restaurant food is truly "better" in many ways, and there's a role for restaurants in society...

But I wouldn't want to live in a world where no one cooks, and food is something we can only choose off a menu.

Software is increasingly heading to that place.

3/ It's easy to see the flaws in the "terrible mess of spreadsheets", but I've come to see a certain beauty in it.

It's amazing that people can make it so far with flexible generic tools. Self-reliance, not buying fancy software off the shelf.

4/ Specialized software can be super valuable, but I hope we also don't lose sight of empowering people to make their own.

If people are cooking mediocre food at home, polished restaurant food isn't the only answer. Cooking classes and better kitchen tools can help too.

5/5 If you're interested in these ideas, a few related references:

Personal Dynamic Media, by Alan Kay:
http://www.newmediareader.com/book_samples/nmr-26-kay.pdf

Changing Minds, by Andrea diSessa:
https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/changing-minds

the Dynamicland project by Bret Victor and team: https://tashian.com/articles/dynamicland/

At Dynamicland, The Building Is The Computer

Dynamicland is a non-profit that resides somewhere between an academic research lab and a Silicon Valley startup, between physical and digital, and between computing’s distant past and its future.

http://www.newmediareader.com/book_samples/nmr-26-kay.pdf

Should have credited Adele Goldberg as well for writing Personal Dynamic Media with Alan Kay