This is a landmark book. It has also been said that the software industry is an example of midgets standing on the toes of other midgets. This old joke seems particularly relevant with respect to standards. Nothing is more paradoxical in the software industry than standards. Standards are easily the biggest aid to interface designers.
Standards are also the biggest obstacle for interface designers.
The lack of standards is the biggest aid to interface designers. The lack of standards is also the biggest obstacle for user interface designers. If this were the business of making soap or paper or drinking glasses, we would have well-established standards and they would be slowly, so slowly creeping forward decade by decade. The solidity of standards allows producers and consumers alike to depend on quality, features and price. There are no great technological changes in the world of soap or paper or drinking glasses, so their respective apple-carts remain upright.