Letter from the CEO

by Robert Pritchett

The K.I.S.S. Principle

I like Wikipedia and really appreciate all who support it with their entries. Take this one for example - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_Principle. The idea is to keep design functional. It is a variation on the theme of Ockham’s Razor http://searchsmb.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid44_gci212684,00.html on getting unnecessary information out of the way.

There is a whole generation of people that have videotape and DVD player displays showing a blinking”12:00 PM” on their units that are tired of resetting their machines each time there is a brownout or power failure. Consider it a design flaw that a battery-backup could have resolved or flash-memory electronics could have addressed.

Then there are the over-complicated cell phones that try to be geek-gadget delights that drive non-techy types crazy and almost require specialized training on how to get dial tone, make a call, disconnect or capture pictures. It doesn’t seem that the telephony industry has settled on a standard, similarly to what the electrical industry generally did with wall outlets or power cord plugs.

One of the things I like about Apple products is that for the most part, they are easy enough to operate, without having to hire a tech to figure out or maintain on a daily basis. There is something intrinsically wrong with having to know your computer tech on a first-name basis. We don’t do that for home appliances, home-builders, car manufacturers, or power tools, so why do those who use computers, tolerate that kind of “service level”? We shouldn’t.

MacCasts

We here at macCompanion, will try to follow the productivity path that Apple has blazed for us. They tend to hide the geek-stuff and make using their systems drop-dead easy. We have been striving to do the same by creating options that make macCompanion easier to read and listen to.

One is that we have stopped distributing notification of each issue release via Email and have created the MagCast over on iTunes so those who wish to may subscribe to it there and download a PDFed version. We have added all issues back 2 years or so. It can be found by searching for “macCompanion” in iTunes, l) follow the link on our home page at http://www.maccompanion or 2) click here - http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=196926454

Wayne Lefevre, our new Ad and Marketing Director is also experimenting with AudioCasting macCompanion so those who would rather listen to each section of the magazine rather than read it may do so. This will be especially helpful for those who may have physical challenges.

We want the deaf to hear and the blind to see macCompanion and those who would rather read print may do so too. Expect future announcements as we work on producing a subscription-based hard-copy quarterly magazine version.

Hopefully you won’t mind if we KISS and make up this month.