Re: XP license to 2nd computer legal?

Mxsmanic wrote:

David Maynard writes:


That's certainly a 'diplomatic' way of putting it but that kind of 'flexibility' translates to unworkable confusion for average users.

The most 'flexible' computer is one with no O.S. at all as you can write your own to do 'anything' just the way you like it. It's also the most useless to an average user.


Agreed.

An ironclad rule in information science is that there can be no
flexibility without complexity. You cannot have a system that allows
you to do all sorts of interesting things and yet requires no input or
decisions from you.

Reducing complexity means designing the system to assume defaults for
various parameters. But assuming defaults eliminates the possibility
of changing those parameters, and thus reduces flexibility. If you
allow someone to change the parameters, the flexibility returns, but
then so does the complexity. There is no way around this.


The only thing I'd quibble with is "defaults eliminates the possibility." One can have defaults with the 'possibility' to change them if necessary. Hopefully 'necessary' doesn't happen.

But, yes, it's an interesting misconception mixing 'simple/easy' and 'flexible' together. It's either the uninitiated repeating what they heard or an engineer speaking. And the engineer means it makes it 'easy' for him to go in and change things, which ain't the same thing as easy for the user.

It's similar with the Linux 'easy' package manager. Oh wow! LOOKie at all the things I can PLAY with... for FREEEEEee!

And there are times when I enjoy that too, but not when I need to get something done.


.

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