Don’t Change that Dial
I recently heard a radio advertisement proclaiming, “Don’t change that dial”, a fairly common phrase in radio advertising. But as technology advances (eliminating dials in favor of buttons), sayings such as the aforementioned one are becoming irrelevant. This same progression is occurring in the metaphors we use in computing.
When the first graphical user interfaces were being developed the designers sought to ease the learning curve by making the user experience similar to one which they already knew–the desktop. Such a metaphor was an ideal implemenation. The computer interface contained all the familiar elements of that of a desktop–files, folders, sticky notes, a desktop workspace, and a trash can.
But what happens when the desktop metaphor becomes irrelevant because the computer has become the desktop? Today, when someone speaks about files or folders, it isn’t so out there to assume they are speaking about computer files. Will there be a time when someone much younger than myself will question why the computer is arranged as such? But then again, there is the possibility that the desktop metaphor will simply fade away as developers push towards a more Internet OS strategy than the traditional desktop environment.
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