[10634] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: [ENODE] Why Librarians Should Rule the Net
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (D. Alex Yohn)
Thu Sep 19 20:17:14 1996
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 16:34:46 -0500 (CDT)
From: "D. Alex Yohn" <AYOHN@wvuvphs1.hsc.wvu.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>On 9/19/96 Anders Schneiderman WROTE:
>Computer culture is also laced with the attitude of, "I'll do what
>I want and tough luck if you don't like it." The people deciding whose
>needs get served by software that's given away for free are, for the most
>part, programmers who are fortunate enough to have the time and the freedom
>to putter around (the people, as a friend who's a secretary pointed out,
>who do not have to worry about having their keystrokes monitored at work or
>having to change diapers at home). As a result, the Internet tends to be
>driven by their desire for the coolest toys rather than by the needs of
>most people.
REPLY:
Those who putter, those fortunate ones, often go uncompensated (or at
the very least compensated far below the actual worth of a product) for
the volume of shareware/freeware they design. If you compensate me,
then I will program the way you want. Otherwise, take advantage of
what I develop or develop it yourself, but quit whinning about how
the current products don't meet your needs.
I like the coolest toys because I get personal enjoyment out of them.
Maybe, just maybe, I create and program for my needs and share it with others
with similar needs. I am not out to solve the problems of the world,
the problems of the information age; I am just trying to solve my immediate
needs by developing products that take advantage of the coolest toys.
My interests maybe self serving, but diapers cost money and my job
doesn't allow extraneous keystrokes either.
When was the last time you registered your shareware? Or sent a bug
report to a program developer? Or even made suggestions to
developers for future program upgrades?
The only ones who should rule the 'Net are those who are developing
it. Librarians are great people and rather gifted at what they do,
but are also often stagnated by lack of financial resources and lack of
personnel. How do you propose to catalogue the current information
available? Who is going to train all of these new cyber-librarians?
Who is going to pay for all of this? Theory without backing is a fun
read, but lacks reality.
