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Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

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Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#21

Post by _xnmw »

fit2rule wrote: post #14

Computers are designed for open-ended productivity, where the assumption by the computer operating system designers is that they don't really know what users want to do, but will give them the option anyway. Computers don't do anything without computer Programmers. It is the user which makes things 'productive', where 'productive' is entirely up to the users' free will to decide to use the computer to do something. A…

I agree that computers are designed for open-ended productivity, but multitasking is simply dead-ended productivity. Because of the way our brains work, it serves no purpose at all, and stifles any kind of serious work. Unless your purpose is to mindlessly surf through a cesspool of information.

Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#22

Post by oostevo »

For people on OS X who want to give tiling window managers a try but don't want to switch to Linux/Xmonad: I've been using Amethyst[1] and throughly enjoying it.

It's pretty clearly still early on in its development, but I've been enjoying pretty substantial productivity gains from using it.

[1] https://github.com/ianyh/Amethyst

Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#24

Post by _xnmw »

GuiA wrote: post #5

I have a Linux laptop on which I run a tiling window manager (in my case, Xmonad), and nothing else. No system tray, no quick launch bar, nothing. (if you're not familiar with tiling window managers, they're window managers in which windows are arranged automatically to a) fully occupy the screen and b) never overlap. They're extremely customizable, but typically you'll have a vertical half of your screen with a main…

Anyone have any suggestions for how to get a similar setup on OSX?

Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#25

Post by andrewflnr »

GuiA wrote: post #5

I have a Linux laptop on which I run a tiling window manager (in my case, Xmonad), and nothing else. No system tray, no quick launch bar, nothing. (if you're not familiar with tiling window managers, they're window managers in which windows are arranged automatically to a) fully occupy the screen and b) never overlap. They're extremely customizable, but typically you'll have a vertical half of your screen with a main…

Like many, I tend to use tabs as short term bookmarks or a reading queue. Do you do anything in particular for those use cases? Just URLs in a text file, maybe?

Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#26

Post by sliverstorm »

Hence why personal email happens on my phone, and work email happens in outlook (running background). Both notify me when I get mail, so "checking my email" is a meaningless action.

Of course, this only works out well when you can prune down the number of emails you get. Unsubscribe from everything you can.

Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#27

Post by pbhjpbhj »

switch007 wrote: post #2

I think the title is slightly hyperbolic. A linux distro gives you almost unlimited possibilities to be productive. Most of the issues can be solved with: - A tiling window manager such as xmonad. - Using virtual desktops/separate windows in addition to tabs - Discipline. Hell, have a "work" user and a "fun" user and completely switch profiles. The tools are available. It takes some minor out-of-the-box thinking and…

Discipline, is that an app?

Seriously though, I seem to have so little. I'm seemingly distracted by every neutrino floating through me nevermind things that actually interact with me, gah! ...

Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#28

Post by [deleted] »

andrewflnr wrote: post #25
GuiA wrote: post #5

I have a Linux laptop on which I run a tiling window manager (in my case, Xmonad), and nothing else. No system tray, no quick launch bar, nothing. (if you're not familiar with tiling window managers, they're window managers in which windows are arranged automatically to a) fully occupy the screen and b) never overlap. They're extremely customizable, but typically you'll have a vertical half of your screen with a main…

Like many, I tend to use tabs as short term bookmarks or a reading queue. Do you do anything in particular for those use cases? Just URLs in a text file, maybe?

[deleted]

Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#29

Post by jkaunisv1 »

GuiA wrote: post #7
inclemnet wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the way people focus on 'self control' is interesting - it's always presented as a choice, or a flaw in a person if they don't have it. But is this really the case? I'm not convinced my conscious desires are necessarily powerful enough to overwhelm procedures in my brain that have developed by other means. Of course there are probably plenty of people for whom being told this kind of thing is itself a stimulu…

It's all about environment. I don't know about you, but in college I quickly noticed that if I hung out with the hard workers I would get great grades and do all my work on time, and if I hung out with slackers I would just play video games all day. Put the unfittest, unhealthiest person you know in a house with crazy healthy and fit people for a few months, and you'll notice drastic changes in their habits and behav…

The sad part is when you have to get a whole new set of friends, even though you like them, to become the person you want to be.

Re: Computers Are Not Designed for Productivity

#30

Post by Dewie »

Animats wrote: post #9

The author may be on to something with the line "A popup notification that runs without concern for what the user is doing is hostile behavior. Notice how there's no API in any OS for "is now a good time to interrupt the user?". Maybe there should be." Notifications could be deferred while the user is actively typing. When the user goes idle, deferred notifications can be displayed. This becomes more important as mor…

Windows 8.0 seems to have become especially bad when it comes to this. All of a sudden it will pop up and focus a (modal) window - all there is is the wallpaper (fuzzied) and the window, where did my application go?

No Windows, I don't want to update Java (yet again) when I'm playing a fullscreened video game.

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