Good read, Tinkerer's Sunset, apple's walled garden

Many things have changed since those days. Jailbreaking an iPhone could have an impact on AT&T's network. No longer does tinkering affect only those things in your home.

 

Ah...I programmed on a ][e in middle school! I have and always be a tinkerer. I use my analytical tinkering in the medical field now (rather than in programming). Hopefully there are kids out there who get past the "it just works" mentality and try to figure out HOW it works.

 

Yeah, well I get no "sense of wonder" from tinkering, neither does the Average User. I get that "sense of wonder" from how the software works, how great everything looks, and how using the tool makes me feel.

If suddenly 5% of the computer-using population (tinkerers) get the shaft, I'd feel sorry for them momentarily, but it wouldn't be a tragedy.

There's nothing preventing anyone from taking apart their Macs and playing with the insides. The only caveat is that you'll end up voiding your warranty, etc.

Apple makes hardware and software for everyone, and aims to improve the experience for the average person. Apple has made tech more accessible (sans the price) and simple to use *for everyone* than ever. And really, that's the goal of good engineering. If Grandma can use it without going into palpitations, it certainly gets my seal of approval. Tech is a tool, not a process or a project. And for those that want to turn it into that, they can go ahead and do it. The old Apple-tinkering has been turned into hackintoshing. Different side of the same coin.

 

I can remember an adage from the days when people believed technology should be used to expand our horizons rather than being content to live in mediocrity.

"Make something truly idiot proof and only idiots will want to use it."

 

That is EXACTLY how technology is expanding our horizons, unless you're going to treat technology as a means unto itself rather than a means to an end, which is ultimately a disservice.

Playing inside a box and knowing how to fix and change out hardware is not expanding my horizons. Using technology to get information in new and exciting ways, certainly is.

Tinkering for the purpose of actually *creating* something a la Bill and Woz and Jobs in the late 70's is a different matter entirely, which faces a different set of challenges.