It is true that things were not perfect in the 80s, but the author has a point. The point is that software designers had the goal of making things at least seem

It is true that things were not perfect in the 80s, but the author has a point. The point is that software designers had the goal of making things at least seem easier and consistent for users. That is the reason for standardized interfaces and APIs. Nowadays, computing seems to have become a free for all, where developers don't care (or have lost the hope of) presenting software in a way that is easy to use. Users are supposed to magically "figure out" how things work, and if they don't is because they're "stupid". Software users nowadays are supposed to put up with whatever crappy interface is was designed last week, just for the sake of "refreshing the UI" (see the disastrous UI updates promoted by Google and FB).