Computing revised - Part I

Hi all

This is what I've been recently thinking. We're all hearing a lot about computing development. Our systems evolve. They become more powerful, software more bloated (but sometimes better), and our spending grows.

Why? Why do we have to buy a new computer every few years? Is the one we have not enough anymore? If we consider the tasks we perform on it, then not necessarily. Lets define few supposedly major computer users in the world:

1. Low-level developer
2. High-level developer
   
3. Business User
   
4. Power User
5. Home User
6. Gamer
   
7. Mobile user / Small mobile user
   
8. Embedded device (special one)

So I will try to explain those types of computer system users. Each user will have different "relations" with hardware and software, and for each one the importance of these lies in different usage patterns. Then I will try to analyze each one's habits, and try to find ways to improve upon those. In the end, I will try to perform a "research" about how can we make the computing experience better than it is today.

Let me begin then. I'm going to explain what I mean by user types:

1. Low-level developer.
Low level developer in my book, is a developer of computing hardware or devices. This computer user doesn't generally have high requirements, he often uses very specific hardware/devices or those created by him or other developers alike. Software he uses generally specific as well, and not required by majority of other computer users. His major requirement is that a computer system will work stable, consistent and predictable. There's almost never requirement of high performance (unless the hardware/device itself created for providing it) or "pretty GUI" (unless, again, provided by the very hardware being developed).


2. High-Level developer.
This type of a user is different from a previous one. This is a developer of a software. Software can be of any kind: Operating system, drivers, office applications, graphical applications, internet/email applications, or games. This type of user will almost always request for the fastest processors available, fastest hard drives available. Multiple processors are welcomed if possible. Graphics power will not always mean much (unless application development requires such a thing). Software he uses is not very special, and can be similar to that used by many other users.

In the next part I will continue talking about different user types, and will explain them more.