Pretty But Bad

A properly designed tool feels natural in your hand. It becomes an extension of the body. If you have ever swung a baseball bat, or used a pair of pliers, or driven a car; then you likely know what it feels like to have a tool feel like it has become a part of your body. Microsoft has been saying for years that the future of input will be software driven. It will be natural language controls and complicated display and input systems. Unfortunately while what they are talking about is undeniably cool, it isn't all that practical. Compare the amount of time it takes to say something like, “Backspace”, or, “Delete” with the act of striking a key on the keyboard.

While voice recognition certainly has its place, basically anywhere you want to replace a living person with a machine, it isn't how humans prefer to do personal actions. Humans are social animals and there is no doubt that the future will bring us wonderful AI robots and virtual pets. It won't, if people wake up, mean that you talk to your computer in order to write your novel. And it certainly doesn't mean you'll say, “Next song, please.” to your stereo.

No, the future of I/O is already here. It is in multi-touch monitors and in proper hardware-based Interaction Design.

Understanding the Past of the keyboard

While I could devote an entire article to the history of the keyboard and why it is both the most significant advancement and constraint on modern computing. I will only gloss over the high points. The keyboard we use today is a compromise between established text input methods and a need for additional controls with a limited set of keys.

The first keyboards were typewriters, and this is where we get the standard QWERTY configuration. This arrangement was designed to compensate for the mechanical device's imperfections. You see, if you typed too fast, it would lock up. The keys are laid out so it is difficult to type quickly.

The first computers adopted this configuration because most people were already used to it. And while some people are really upset about this, I am not. There is nothing wrong with presenting a user with something they are already used to. However, the computer required a collection of modifier keys to access all of the wonderful functions that the computer has to offer. Keyboard shortcuts are a wonderful, if not easy to learn, way to speed up functions that once required long commands of text, and later on long movements of the mouse through menus.

Why has the Evolution Stopped?

Microsoft and Apple believe that the future of input will be software based, and as such have invested no energy in trying to update the keyboard and mouse. In the last 15 years the big enhancements to these devices can be named in once sentence. The mouse wheel, then scroll ball, and the Windows Key and Hot Item Nubs. Hot Item Nubs are things on windows keyboards that do somewhat silly things like opening the calculator or web browser, or the useful addition of being able to control a media player.

So they have ignored the primary problem with the keyboard: Hot Keys. The problem with Hot Keys is that they require the user to remember a lot of abstract combinations of keys to use software quickly, and sometimes to use it at all. While Hot Keys aren't in and of themselves evil, their hidden nature makes them a barrier that users need to cross to become productive with most software products. Luckily there is a very easy fix. One I will get to shortly.

The New Keyboard

My Home Computer will have a keyboard that looks like this:

30 function keys? I must be crazy! Isn't it no different to force the user to remember an arbitrary F key than it is to force them to remember any other Hot Key? True, however the picture leaves out one wonderful detail. Each key contains a small back-lit LCD screen. Perhaps 32 by 32 pixels or even more. This technology already exists, and while it is a little pricey, large scale production can reduce that, and we aren't talking about an option here. These keyboards are part of the standard package. So the user will simply see the price-tag for the whole computer and not the abnormally expensive keyboard. The value added by these full-color LCD screens is immeasurable.

The top row of function keys will show icons that mirror the top bar of the OS itself. These keys allow the user to switch between programs at the tap of a finger. Unused keys will show the items on the secondary menu of the top bar section you are currently working in.

The bottom row of function keys will show program-specific icons for special tasks. These icons can change depending on the mode the software is in and what is focused. Many of these icons will mirror items on the toolbar of the software itself. They are, in fact, Hot Keys, only they can perform additional functions.

Shift is the only modification key. It is discoverable since everyone uses it for typing already. When you press shift, or toggle on Caps Lock, all the icons will change to their alternates. Lowercase letters will become their uppercase versions and the Undo key will become a Redo key. Undo and Redo are infinite, tap Undo 10 times and you'll undo the last 10 actions.

Example 1: Toggle - The user taps a key and it inverses colors to show that it is toggled on. This is also how Caps Lock, Number Lock, and Insert will work.

Example 2: No Text - Clearly some programs or modes won't require that the user be able to enter text, why waste the keys. Since all the keys use LCD screens, the software can simply replace the letters with whatever is needed.

Example 3: Fonts Ahoy - It has always annoyed me how hard it is to use fonts that don't use standard glyphs. Imagine that when you change typefaces to WingDings, you actually see those pictures on the keyboard. Switch to bold, and the text becomes bold on the keyboard.

Oh, and the keyboard connects via USB and bluetooth. When plugged in you get a faster response time, and the battery is recharged. Same goes for the mouse. A MOUSE!

Eek Eeeek!

The mouse also connects via USB to recharge and to gain a faster response time. It is mainly just like a regular old mouse. It has a scroll ball and is optical. It has 2 buttons, like a windows mouse.

The Screen

I've already talked a lot about the screen. It connects to the computer by wire to charge and doing so puts it in docked mode, freeing resources from the touch screen to be used by the keyboard and mouse. Take it off the dock and it turns on the software keyboard controls and activates the touchscreen. The screen will likely need to dim when off the dock as well, to conserve power.

The screen connects via either bluetooth, or better, wifi, to the computer itself. It acts like a terminal.

The multi-touch nature of the screen is what makes it very useful as a lap-tool. Actions like IM, music control, watching movies, drawing, and manipulating 3D objects, are all more natural like this.

It is important to note that all software is usable in either configuration, if sometimes less natural.

Other I/O Devices

While not expressly I/O there are other devices that could ship with the computer or be purchasable as an additional item, or activated on other devices.

These could be Web Cams, or iPods or other items. But this also includes something I call Distributed Networking and Synchronization .

Think of DNaS as really two abilities. Synchronizing data between any paired device and the computer from anywhere, and sharing extra computer resources whenever possible and safe. All of these devices are wifi capable and they all connect to a series of servers owned by whoever makes the system. When you first get a new one of these computers, you go through a registration process. You get to list the address the computer is located at and the name of the user using it.

When any storage device like an iPod or thumb drive is connected to the computer, it syncs the data between them for just that user in an interruptible way and entirely in the background. Not only that, but the computer will connect automatically to any other computer with broadband Internet located at the same address. It will also talk to any and all computers located within wifi-shot of itself and will take processing cycles from those machines if they are idle and it needs it. This will increase the speed of the computers the more there are near-by. Additionally, if an address doesn't have Internet, it will download updates through any other computer it can connect to. It won't use any additional bandwidth, it will simply pull a copy off the network after that computer has upgraded.

Not only that, but by tagging your music as shared, any computer within range of any computer at that address will have the shared music appear in their library. However, they will not be able to pass the music on to a 3rd separate computer.

When a user first sets up their computer, they can opt in to letting other people use any Internet connection they are connected to. In this way, you can share your Internet with all your neighbors. What's more, the computer will automatically re-route additional traffic to less-used Internet connections.

These sharing networks are infinite. If someone has broadband and lets others share when they aren't using it, and a second computer is sharing that connection and is also set to share, a third computer can share the connection from the second computer, even when out of range of the first one. The same goes for distributed computing.

All of this is done in the background, and the big plus to all of this is that all these computers will eventually all link up through a giant wi-fi cloud. New versions of the hardware will increase the performance of the computers connected to it. Thusly, a first generation computer will get FASTER over time. It will download faster and process faster.

Ideally, hard-drive space could also be shared. However, network speeds will have to increase dramatically for this to really be viable. Perhaps for small plain-text documents and small photos, this could work.

There is a very real question of security in all this. However, remember that the ONLY software that can be run is that which comes with the machine or is downloaded in an upgrade. And since updates are completely automated, the only computers that won't quickly get fixed are ones that aren't connected to the system that is a threat in the first place.

While much of this system isn't really I/O, some of it sort of is, such as the shared music, and being able to sync all your data anywhere, perpetually.

The Perfect OS

The perfect operating system should be simple and non-intrusive. If possible, it should exist on a single screen and always be accessible. It should be clean and take up the least amount of space that usability allows.

Here is a plan for the perfect OS, a description of the entirety of the system's functions and abilities, complete with drawings.

The Platform

As I've already described, the Perfect Home Computer should have a multi-touch screen. It should also support a 2 button mouse with scroll wheel. The mouse functions are somewhat more limited than the touch-screen's, however a mouse is sometimes quicker. Regardless, the mouse and the touch-screen functions are independent and while the mouse shows a cursor, the touching should not.

The mouse has 2 basic controls: The left button, which is used for pressing and moving; and the right button, which is used for selection. This is different than the PC, where the right button is used mainly for calling up a context sensitive menu. The difference is to better map to the primary, that is, touch-based control scheme. I will largely ignore the mouse from here on, simply replace these buttons for the controls I describe, and assume the mouse wheel can tilt for side to side scrolling.

Core Control Methods

There are two basic scales when you talk about an OS, the first are the vocabulary of the second. First, are the Core Control Methods. How the user interacts with the computer are what make up these methods. Clicks, Swipes, Buttons, Icons, and Widgets are all part of this section, and I will try to be as complete as possible.

• Basic Interactions
  • Tap

    A tapping or short pressing with the finger or stylus on the screen.

  • Double Tap

    Like a double click.

  • Slide

    Right after a Tap, the user can slide their finger around the screen. This is like simply moving the mouse around the screen. This makes mouse-based websites function properly and is more natural for some people when dealing with anything like a pulldown menu.

  • Hold

    Like a tap, only the user holds their finger down for a longer time.

  • Select

    While performing a hold, the user also performs a tap/hold with another finger. This is a lot like a click-and-drag selection. Sliding the fingers will select more or less. Releasing with both fingers will leave those items selected, and releasing one finger will drag the selected items to whatever finger is still held.

  • Drag

    While holding on an item, sliding the finger on the screen will cause it to drag. Release it, and it...

  • Drop

    Drop a dragged item to move it to a new location.

  • Grab

    If you add one or more additional fingers, spread apart, to a Hold or Drag, and the object you are holding has the option, you can Grab the object. Grabbing retains the Drag ability, but enables new options.

  • Twist

    If you rotate the fingers performing a Grab around a central point, you'll rotate the given item. This rotation might snap to certain angles, or it might be smooth, depending on the context.

  • Stretch/Shrink

    Spreading the fingers involved in a Grab apart will cause the object to scale up or down. This won't normally cause a permanent change to the file. However, it will cause permanent changes to text selections.

  • Release

    Like a drop, only for Grabbed items. Just pulling your fingers off the screen will release the item. However, you must remove all your fingers from the screen. In this way, you can scale to larger sizes than you can stretch your fingers apart, but letting go with all but one finger, and moving your fingers closer together to stretch the object more.

  • Scroll

    Sliding with 2 or more fingers anywhere will scroll that area if it can be scrolled. Mainly, the main viewing window is the only thing that will scroll, however, other areas might be scrollable and will do so as long as at least one finger starts in that area.

  • Shift/control/alt

    As the multi-touch pad can be used away from a keyboard, requiring these keys would break the system. In fact, the keyboard will not have them at all. I will detail in the hardware what the keyboard will look like. However, it will mainly retain the standard characters for a keyboard, shift, caps lock, tab, enter, backspace, the number pad, and arrow keys (for games). In addition, it will have custom keys for very common tasks. Music/Video controls and the like.

• Widgets
  • Software Keyboard

    The monitor pad will enter keyboardless mode when removed from its dock. The software keyboard comes up as an overlay when something that requires text is selected. This tool will find, or make, a blank section for it to appear and will be as small and non-intrusive as can be.

  • Traditional Widgets

    Most of the traditional widgets are present and function the same as they always have. Buttons, Select Boxes, Text Fields, and so on. Because of this, I won't detail these widgets.

OS Methods

Using the above Core Controls, the OS is built. It will look something like this:

Tapping items on the top bar, in this case email, brings down a list of items. These will be actions/sub programs, and under those, a list of recently used or recently gained items. In this case, the user's inbox. Tapping something on this list will load that item or bring up one additional pane. This pane is for sub-programs and more complex tasks. In this case the contact list.

You can also slide along and down the top bar, although this doesn't make things better or faster, it is more natural for some people to do it this way.

You can Double Tap on any item to do the default action for that item, or in the case of programs and sub-programs, to bring the last used item to the for-front. If you Double Tap on a menu item when you are already viewing that last viewed item, it switches to the item used immediately before that one in that program or sub program. In this way, you can quickly toggle between multiple tasks.

Where the top bar is used for main programs that take up the entire screen, the bottom bar is used for stand-alone or background tasks. Music, Video, and so on. In this case the user has Tapped the Instant Message tool. This brings up their buddy list. The music tool would bring up a currently playing box with player controls for when the user wants to control music away from the keyboard. Video lets the user take the monitor to a different room and still be able to watch his DVD.

The user has also tapped his Mistress buddy, which stores the conversation they have been having. In here, he can tap the text field to talk to his Mistress.

Tapping the IM button again, or a top bar button, or any other bottom bar button will take the IM items off screen.

Important Note: The image shows both the top and bottom bars being used at the same time. You can't do that, I merely did that to save space.

The settings button would bring up the settings I talked about before. These are mainly controls for scroll speed, double-tap/click speed, mouse speed and other usability controls.

You can drag and drop selections of items from one section to another. You could select all those emails and drag them to the word processor button and drop them to add them all one after the other into a new document. This action is mainly for transfer from one media type to another. It can also be performed from the search pane.

What is this "Search" you speak of?

There is no "file system" in this OS. Sure, there actually IS one, but it is never actually rendered to the user. Instead, it shows them their most recent items on each menu in the extra space. Also, there is a search feature that can be accessed both in the bottom right and in each program's own toolbar at the top. For individual programs, it searches specific kinds of files, the main search is more robust and searches all the user's data.

Rather than a system of folders in folders, which forces the user to remember where he put things, this system uses compound tags. As part of each program's tools, the user can alter default tags and add entirely new ones if he so chooses. Many of the default tags are used by more than one program, letting the user search for, say, everything they made in the month of July in 1996. These tags are compound, because they have 2 parts: a Name, and a Value. The name would be something like Date, or Group, or Name, or Format. While value is what that name's value is for that particular file. 1996/07/28, Conference 96, My Presentation, Presentation.

The default tags have more complicated formats and are read differently by the OS and rendered differently. The date, for instance, can be searched by ranges and months and days, for more complete searching. The group tag is added with a combo box that lets you enter new values or select an existing one. This makes the tags more usable and structured.

One item I didn't include is mobile media. Place a CD-R in the CD drive and the CD pops onto the bottom bar. Drag data to it from the search box or wherever and it will be loaded on the CD, tap the cd and you can burn it, or eject it. Same goes for other mobile media. Media from other platforms, like windows, will have as many tags auto-filled as possible. And tags will be included in burns and transfers in a text file that this perfect OS will understand.

The power of this system is truly remarkable. Say, for example, the user is going to be speaking at a conference. He might have a speech he wrote, a presentation, various photos, a video, and some music to play in the background. He could tag all of these in their group tag with something like "Conference 2015" and when it comes time to go to the conference, all he need do is search for that name in the group tags and drag and drop them onto a thumb-drive. No missing files, no remembering where he put them. But lets say he did this months in advance and doesn't remember what he called it. He could search for the time-frame he remembers, in a format he knows he used, with groups showing, and when he finds it, he can double tap on the group tag he likes and it will redo the search looking for just that tag. Easy as pie.

In addition to all this, all software will store an undo file for each and every file. This is a complete undo system with every action undoable and stored forever.

And lastly, there is no more save. All saving is done in the background automatically every time the user makes a change and has paused for a moment to think. Also, there are 2 replacement choices in the tools for the programs. Toss in the Trash, and Dig through the Trash. They do what they seem to. As space is needed, the oldest trash items are removed first, otherwise, the trash stays forever.

Nothing in our daily lives is more upsetting than the personal computer. It is clunky, hard to learn, and ruins our backs and wrists. It is a failure of industrial and Interaction Design, and I aim to lay down a plan to fix - nay - replace it.

Yes. Replace it. Seriously.

I'm laying this down in full over the course of several posts on this blog. From hardware requirements to software and operating system functionality. The whole deal. Free. Steal at will.

Why not try to sell the idea? Simple. No one would ever buy it. And if they did, they wouldn't know how to make it happen. My hope here is that someone will come along, read it, love it and make it happen. Of course, any serious company would never take an idea this way, so for anyone who wants to buy the idea, legit and legal, just contact me. I'll sell it cheap.

So, first things first. Forget everything you already understand about the personal computer. It is a failure for 3 major reasons. Those reasons are:

1. Home and Work PCs are identical.
2. Computer Professionals and Basic Users are forced to use the same hardware and software.
3. Computer Professionals build software to give other Computer Professionals systems they would want.

So what is the fix? Easy, you build a home computer that isn't designed for use by professionals and isn't designed to be a workhorse for business. In other words, you plug it in like a stereo system and it just works.

Blasphemous, Impossible, Outrageous. Sure, I know. But it gets better. The perfect home computer won't let users do these things:

1. Download Software
2. Upgrade
3. Replace Hardware

Oh heavens no! But yes, it is true. And here is why:

1. Download Software

   The perfect home computer would come with all the software that 90% of users want and no more. The 10% of the market you lose is made up for by everyone else on earth who can suddenly use a computer for the first time. New software will magically appear if the computer is connected to the Internet, because it will automatically get new software from the upgrade server. Which leads to...

2. Upgrade

   If the computer is connected to the Internet, it will automatically download upgrades. It won't ask, it just will do, and it will install those upgrades whenever the user restarts the computer on their own, or in another situation I'll talk about eventually. Not connected to the Internet? What do you need security upgrades for?

3. Replace Hardware

   The hardware is locked, and only buying a new version of the home computer will give you an upgrade. However, there will be no need for upgrades to hardware, because the user base doesn't care. As long as the computer doesn't appear slow, they don't care what it has on the inside. People were perfectly happy with 66 megahertz windows 95 machines, it is only the greater needs of the bloated software that requires greater speed.

So, smarty pants, what is the fix? Simple, but not easy. The perfect home computer will require some serious new looks at old problems. Thankfully, I've done most of the work for you. So what does the perfect home computer have? I've broken it down for you:

• Hardware
  • Magic Box
    • Competitive Processor
    • Lots O Ram
    • Decent Graphics Card
    • Decent sound
    • CD/DVD burner
    • Blu-ray and/or HD-DVD
    • Media (all current)
    • USB, Firewire, other buses.
    • 5.1 or even 7.1 surround support
    • HDMI/S-VIDEO/Component Video connections.

    This box sits under the monitor and allows access to all media and buses on the front, sound and other connections on the back.

  • Portable Multi-touch Monitor

    This the first of the more-than-cosmetic new devices. Think of it has a tablet laptop, without the laptop. An iPhone with a bigger screen. It is essentially the pads from Star Trek the Next Generation. This comes with a dock that makes the device just like a traditional monitor and also recharges the batteries, the dock could be built right into the magic box. This device sports a keyboard button that calls up a software keyboard built into the OS. The device connects when disconnected from the dock via wi-fi to allow the monitor to be taken anywhere in a person's house.

  • Wired/wireless Keyboard

    Yes, both. You plug it in to charge the batteries and to get a faster response time.

  • Wired/wireless Mouse

    Yes, both. You plug it in to charge the batteries and to get a faster response time.

  • Web Cam
  • Printer/Scanner
  • 2.1 speakers (L R and sub)
• Software

  This list may not be complete.

  • Office

    It is unavoidable that users will need basic office software. Working at home is inevitable, but basic office software is not the same thing as a working computer. Being able to look at a spreadsheet doesn't require all the systems currently in place on working computers.

    • Word Processor
    • Spreadsheets
    • Presentations (powerpoint)
  • Web
    • Websites
    • Feeds
  • Email
    • Message
    • In box
    • Contacts
  • Photos
    • View
    • Fix
  • Calender
    • Add Event
    • View
  • Games
  • Music
  • Movies
  • IM (all the common ones, integrated.)
  • Webcamming software
• OS
  • Top Bar

    Across the top of the screen will appear a bar, somewhat like the task bar in windows, only it is always full. Every task on the system can be accessed here or on the bottom bar. The top bar shows groupings of common programs, although some items are sub programs as you might have noticed in the software listing. I will detail how the interface functions in great detail and perhaps with flash if I can get it working in it. (I hate flash for this kind of thing, however it is the only rational way to display this kind of thing on line.)

  • Bottom Bar

    Across the bottom of the screen is another bar, this one shows tasks that don't overtake the entire screen. The music button slides out a control pane for adjusting the library or stopping/starting play. The IM button will display current IM conversations and will show your contact list.

  • System

    I said once that there are no control panels or settings or meaningless choices. That isn't 100% true. There are some features that require adjustment. None of these have shortcuts or key bindings to confuse the user. This is the only place to make these changes.

    • Handicap Modes

      Blind support, Deaf Support, Limited Sight Support. A set of radio buttons to decide which is in application here. None of these will make sighted/hearing users lose functionality. They will only enable new things, like a screen-reader for the blind.

    • Mouse

      Sensitivity, double-click speed

    • Keyboard

      The effects of holding down a key, and other usability concerns.

    • Localization

      Each unit will ship set to a certain nationality, and can be changed on first run. However, there is value in being able to switch nationality at a later date.

    • Connection

      Internet connection information. While most of this would happen automatically, or on first run of web/email softwares. This area is required because of the various quirks of the Internet. This is more like another way to reach the backups for all the automatic Internet systems.

  • Automation

    Speaking of automatic systems. Nearly everything that CAN be detected WILL be detected, and in the event of a failure on the part of the OS, it will ask the user for help and suggest places that the user can find help if they need it. The computer is the user's slave. It ASKS for help. I can't stress that enough.

    • Internet Connection

      While there is something dubious about wireless connections, here is a simple process that should get most computers connected. This would auto-run any time the computer can't connect, but intelligently as you will see in another post.

      1. Check for phone line.

         Prompt for number to call and user name and password, or to ignore the phone line.

      2. Check for LAN

         If a wired connection is possible, always choose it.

      3. Check for unsecured Wireless with highest signal strength.

         Ask user if they own or have permission to connect to this connection. Test to ensure it isn't a coffee shop which will redirect all traffic to a sign up plan site.

      4. Check for unsecured Wireless with next highest signal strength.

         Ask like above and continue till all unsecured wireless signals are checked.

      5. Secured Wireless.

         Prompt user for secured wireless password/key or to say they don't have one. If they provide one. Start with highest signal secured wireless and try all types of security.

      6. Failure.

         Offer suggestions for how to fix the problem, or on what options they have to get Internet service.

    • Email

      Provided there is an active Internet connection. Email will ask the user for the connection information for setting up e-mail. It will give detailed information about who to contact and where to look to find this information. As this archaic system will likely be the most difficult part of the setup process. One possible solution to this problem is to prompt the user for their email address and to partner with various providers to pass on to the software as much of the info required as is possible. If the software can ask the user for only an e-mail address and user name/password. That would be ideal.

    • Hardware

      Since the hardware is locked, the system can make really good guesses as to what exactly has gone wrong and take the right action. If the monitor is broken, it will issue verbal audio commands on how to fix it or what to do. If the sound system is broken, it can do the same with the screen. Rather than a cheap solution to big problems, IE, beeps. It should access a special chip set that gives verbal audio descriptions of what is wrong, in the place of numbers of beeps.

    • Upgrades

      As long as the computer is connected to the Internet, it can download automatic upgrades to the computer. This means FREE software, security enhancements and other upgrades. Software is NOT only made by the people who sell the computer. However, it is all distributed through them. Users don't buy the software, instead the company regularly looks at software that other companies build for the system and makes a purchases for all their computers and for all that may exist in the future. These pieces of software need to pass very strict standards, but other aspects of the OS itself will force certain aspects of the software to be well designed. I'll go into that more later.

It is also important to address Mods a bit. A mod is any modification to the system made by the user that isn't intended by the people who manufacture the device. If people in the mod world would like to make this computer do other things, they can have at it. I don't care. The basic user won't do this, and if someone ruins the system by modding it, it isn't the fault of the company that made it. If someone wants to bother, let them. This system isn't out to restrict user's creativity. It is out to give the most common user an easy to use, perfect-out-of-the-box computer for everyday tasks.