Plug that sucker in and let it fly. If we could eliminate that phone-line step and get wireless connections to the Net, I d be even happier. And we computer geeks are used to the gremlins in the works of today s computers, but the general consumer isn t accustomed to a machine that just decides to quit in the middle of an important task. Not a day goes by without my Windows 98 machine at work AND my Macintosh at home crashing at least once. Not a month goes by without at least one of my relatives or friends asking how to fix a major problem with their computer.
People wouldn t tolerate having to reboot their televisions or telephones.
Perhaps the stability of Linux and OS X and Windows 2000, the latest generation of operating systems, will allow us to compute crash-free, but I suspect there s still ground to be covered. All of these changes can come about if the folks designing computers and Web sites start concentrating on the user experience instead of on creating extraneous features that confuse more than help. Make computers less scary for the general public and stop catering only to the faster, bigger, stronger technology buffs, and more people will get wired. Once our neighbors and parents and brothers and sisters get comfortable with the wired world, maybe the Internet will be woven into people s lives.