3 ms·

The Practicality of Art in Software

40 points by robenkleene 3y ago

Nevermark 3y ago
What bothers me the most when a nicely structured system blocks whole productivity styles - is how many latent innovation paths have been eliminated before they were born. Apple has historically crossed back and forth over the line of structure whose consistency, reliability and functional simplicity enables Cambrian explosions of creativity … vs … consistencies that strangle experimentation.
- JieJie 3y ago
  Creative people are not know for our consistency and reliability. It is, in fact, what sets most of us apart. This may be what drives the division between the artists and engineers, despite us mostly desiring the same ends.
  - Nevermark 3y ago
    Agreed about creativity vs. consistency, it is a complex relationship. Consistencies enable creativity. Painters want paint that maintains its colors, architects want materials with predictable properties. And in the other direction, most impactful expressions of creativity provide a new consistency that can be built on. New math, a new programming paradigm. Or in the art world, when an artist's body of work (over a period, or even their whole life) isn't just a show case of independent creations, but consistently demonstrates a new vision, a new technique, providing clarity that others can absorb, appreciate and build on. -- Bzilion's Law of the Value of a Consistency: The value of a consistency is proportional to how it expands creative potential, divided by the square of how much it limits it. Simply reducing extant complexity is a short sighted rational for a consistency. It is a pedantically tautological bar, despite its seductiveness for the attractive-design over ease-of-use crowd. -- Premature enforced consistency on NEW ideas is where Apple typically err's in my opinion. While well thought out preemptive strikes on outdated freedom, i.e. dropped LEGACY complexity, often showcases their genius.
egypturnash 3y ago
tl;dr: The iPad's attempts at providing a multitasking, multi-window OS with which one can do all the kinds of work that one can do on a desktop/laptop computer are still not there yet. Personally I feel much the same; this is why I'm at my desk in front of a screen connected to an Air, waiting for Illustrator to complete a complex operation involving some third-party plugins and flipping over to various Internet distractions instead of trying to do this on an iPad. I dunno why this guy's still beating his head on PadOS instead of doing the same.
andirk 3y ago
"But it doesn’t work the other way: most people who prioritize other things can’t fathom why anyone cares deeply about design/UI/UX because they don’t perceive it. Thus they chalk up iOS and native Mac-app enthusiasm to being hypnotized by marketing, Pied Piper style." I agree. Apple design/UI/UX has never impressed me and I don't understand how rounded corners and an 'i' toStart names it better. I also have plenty of beef with Windows, but not much at all with Android.
- santoshalper 3y ago
  Baffling. Apple has beautiful hardware, but most of the software is dumb as a brick and worse than the equivalent Android app in my experience. At least compared to Google's first party apps.
lincpa 3y ago
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40 points by robenkleene 3y ago

What bothers me the most when a nicely structured system blocks whole productivity styles - is how many latent innovation paths have been eliminated before they were born. Apple has historically crossed back and forth over the line of structure whose consistency, reliability and functional simplicity enables Cambrian explosions of creativity … vs … consistencies that strangle experimentation.

JieJie 3y ago
Creative people are not know for our consistency and reliability. It is, in fact, what sets most of us apart. This may be what drives the division between the artists and engineers, despite us mostly desiring the same ends.
- Nevermark 3y ago
  Agreed about creativity vs. consistency, it is a complex relationship. Consistencies enable creativity. Painters want paint that maintains its colors, architects want materials with predictable properties. And in the other direction, most impactful expressions of creativity provide a new consistency that can be built on. New math, a new programming paradigm. Or in the art world, when an artist's body of work (over a period, or even their whole life) isn't just a show case of independent creations, but consistently demonstrates a new vision, a new technique, providing clarity that others can absorb, appreciate and build on. -- Bzilion's Law of the Value of a Consistency: The value of a consistency is proportional to how it expands creative potential, divided by the square of how much it limits it. Simply reducing extant complexity is a short sighted rational for a consistency. It is a pedantically tautological bar, despite its seductiveness for the attractive-design over ease-of-use crowd. -- Premature enforced consistency on NEW ideas is where Apple typically err's in my opinion. While well thought out preemptive strikes on outdated freedom, i.e. dropped LEGACY complexity, often showcases their genius.

egypturnash 3y ago

tl;dr: The iPad's attempts at providing a multitasking, multi-window OS with which one can do all the kinds of work that one can do on a desktop/laptop computer are still not there yet. Personally I feel much the same; this is why I'm at my desk in front of a screen connected to an Air, waiting for Illustrator to complete a complex operation involving some third-party plugins and flipping over to various Internet distractions instead of trying to do this on an iPad. I dunno why this guy's still beating his head on PadOS instead of doing the same.

andirk 3y ago

"But it doesn’t work the other way: most people who prioritize other things can’t fathom why anyone cares deeply about design/UI/UX because they don’t perceive it. Thus they chalk up iOS and native Mac-app enthusiasm to being hypnotized by marketing, Pied Piper style." I agree. Apple design/UI/UX has never impressed me and I don't understand how rounded corners and an 'i' toStart names it better. I also have plenty of beef with Windows, but not much at all with Android.

santoshalper 3y ago
Baffling. Apple has beautiful hardware, but most of the software is dumb as a brick and worse than the equivalent Android app in my experience. At least compared to Google's first party apps.

lincpa 3y ago

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