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But what if I want a faster horse?

rakhim.exotext.com

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Re: But what if I want a faster horse?

#361

Post by the_snooze »

okwhateverdude wrote: post #336
sureIy wrote: post #238

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this about software or is it about you? I loved my computer when I was a kid, now I only see flaws. I don't think software was flawless at the time, it's just that I became very keenly aware of its current issues because this is my field.

I think I am in the same boat as you. Knowing how the sausage is made only makes the flaws noticed even more offensive. But I do think the GP has a point about the intentional friction and bullshit introduced into lots of modern software that wasn't even a twinkling in some CEOs eye way back when. Software has become adversarial to the user. Psychology has been weaponized to induce behaviors in users. Instead of user…

I think the harsh practical reality is that a lot of end-user computing needs have been met for a long time: word processing, media playback, communications, etc. Unless you need live collaboration or some specialized package, most things you can do in modern Google Sheets you can do just as well in LibreOffice Calc or Excel 97.

How does one build or maintain a viable software business in a world where most people's software needs have been met? It's to pivot away from delivering value towards extracting value. Hence all the push towards cloud-based services instead of stadalone local programs. Online connectivity allows the developer to arbitrarily change the balance of value between them and the user, which is where the gross adversarial feeling of modern computing comes from. The computer is no longer serving you exclusively.

Re: But what if I want a faster horse?

#362

Post by scarface_74 »

bobxmax wrote: post #138
scarface_74 wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re giving it way too much of a positive spend. None of the companies are using analytics to increase the desirability for the majority of users. They are doing it to increase “engagement” and so more people will stay on their site longer. Why else wouldn’t Netflix show the “continue watching” row first instead of forcing you to scroll past algorithmic generated crap? It is the same reason that Google went from de…

What's the difference between that which optimized for what you call "engagement" and what the average user wants? Presumably the best thing for Netflix is to have a happy userbase, so why do you assume it wouldn't optimize for that?

The average user wants to watch what they want right now. Netflix wants to surface shows that will keep you subscribed after you watch what you want to watch .

Re: But what if I want a faster horse?

#363

Post by 20after4 »

metalman wrote: post #282
_kush wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the cycle I keep seeing: Most great products start out for enthusiasts and often by enthusiasts. They’re opinionated, sharp, sometimes rough, but exciting. Then VC funding comes in, and the product has to appeal to a broader audience. Things get smoothed out and the metrics rule decisions. Eventually, the original enthusiasts feel left out. The product’s no longer for them. So a new product comes out, started…

right, all that and increasing regulation and enforcement, ( SAFTEY SaFTEY SaFETy, agggghhhhh) marginalises, and criminalises anyone looking for something out on the edge and the edge gets crazyer.....think , the street raceing/drifting sceen, where, somebody gona die and nobody much cares, it's way too fucked up too even make a movie on the real mofo's and mofo'ets, are working as "contractors", anything goes, again…

Amish street racing sounds like an awesome movie / series / video game / pass-time / sport for gamblers to lose their money on.

Re: But what if I want a faster horse?

#364

Post by cpmsmith »

bloppe wrote: post #276
al_borland wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple Music still offers library management, with their entire catalog to choose from. They try to play all sides, with algorithmic playback, radio, add to library, and playlists. Adding to library and playlists do seem to be core features, but I’m curious how many people put in the effort when it’s not explicitly required.

Is that different from Spotify? Am I using Spotify wrong? I mostly just curate and listen to my own playlists

Apple Music's library features much more closely mirror the iTunes style, i.e. you have a library you can browse outside of just the "liked songs" pseudo-playlist. For instance, in Spotify (AFAICT) there's no way to browse all the songs in your library by artist; you can only list the artists you've followed, which is unrelated to whose songs you've liked, and go to their general artist page.

Personally, this is the top contender for a reason for me to switch away from Spotify.

Re: But what if I want a faster horse?

#366

Post by lcnPylGDnU4H9OF »

FinnLobsien wrote: post #297
cubefox wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A substantial fraction of us might indeed have some degree of ASD or ADHD.

Or maybe we're just nerds, not everything needs to qualify as a clinical diagnosis

This comment is distinctly incurious. Sure, it doesn't have to be a clinical diagnosis but that's also kinda the point of talking about it so casually: it doesn't always have to rise to the level of a clinical diagnosis. Some people will not be satisfied with the "we're just nerds" explanation and that's okay too. (Indeed, obsessive weirdos, eh?)

Re: But what if I want a faster horse?

#367

Post by FinnLobsien »

famahar wrote: post #354
FinnLobsien wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, totally. Also, much of Netflix's growth now comes from their ad-supported tier, so they're definitely part of that attention economy. And part of the problem is that if somebody (TikTok) has the most engaging format possible (vertical short-form video) and you (Substack, Reddit, LinkedIn, etc.) don't, you're at a strict disadvantage. So you enable short-form video, boost it in the algorithm, etc. no matter if it…

>But imagine trying to start HN today... Reddit is a good example of what a monetized version could look like. It's a shell of its former self. NFT avatar customization, engagement achievements, ads in feed and comments, layers of friction to simplify the experience. Such a mess.

Yeah, for sure. And yet the numbers are up. This is precisely what happens when products cross into the mainstream. They get worse for enthusiasts and get better for the average person (and more profitable).

Re: But what if I want a faster horse?

#368

Post by al_borland »

bloppe wrote: post #276
al_borland wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple Music still offers library management, with their entire catalog to choose from. They try to play all sides, with algorithmic playback, radio, add to library, and playlists. Adding to library and playlists do seem to be core features, but I’m curious how many people put in the effort when it’s not explicitly required.

Is that different from Spotify? Am I using Spotify wrong? I mostly just curate and listen to my own playlists

Does Spotify have a library option? I haven’t been a heavy Spotify user, but last time I tried it, it seemed like I could “follow” artists as a proxy to adding something to a library, but I found it all pretty confusing.

I know they have playlists, but I was looking more of the feature like, “these are all the songs I’m interested in, that I will use to build my playlists or shuffle… because I don’t want to try and remember everything as I wade through a 60m track library of all the songs available on Spotify.”

Re: But what if I want a faster horse?

#370

Post by cs702 »

cjs_ac wrote: post #16

For any given thing or category of thing , a tiny minority of the human population will be enthusiasts of that thing , but those enthusiasts will have an outsize effect in determining everyone else's taste for that thing . For example, very few people have any real interest in driving a car at 200 MPH, but Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches are widely understood as desirable cars, because the people who are into car…

My takeaway:

The Nash Equilibrium of streaming UIs is a TikTok experience.

:-(

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