> The point about "user control" is odd though, since that's basically the exact opposite of the Apple philosophy today, and even the older Macs seemed more opaque and with less user control than the PCs of the time.
As an advanced user, I don't want more control. I want defaults that are good enough that I never want to change them.
Every hour I spend tinkering with my computer, is an hour I didn't spend achieving useful work. Sometimes yak shaving is useful, most of the times it just keeps me from getting anything done.
Why not both? I want good defaults, and also the ability to change the things that I might want tweaked for whatever reason down the line. A powerful preferences interface is the software equivalent of opening up the hood of a car -- just because I want it to run well doesn't mean I'm not gonna poke around.
About your cars reference, there's a funny segment from an old Top Gear where the presenters beat everyone at the modified cars drag strip race using a stock Bentley.
Everyone else poured thousands of hours and thousands of dollars into their car. James May showed up with a stock Bentley - a big fat comfortable car - and won the day.
> As an advanced user ... I want defaults that are good enough that I never want to change them.
Reminds me of the old linux joke: newbies use the default kernel because it 'just works'; power users compile their own kernels to get every last scrap of power possible; and advanced users use the default kernel because it 'just works'...
As an advanced user, I don't want more control. I want defaults that are good enough that I never want to change them.
Every hour I spend tinkering with my computer, is an hour I didn't spend achieving useful work. Sometimes yak shaving is useful, most of the times it just keeps me from getting anything done.