Thinking About Technology Innovation That Sticks
Sometimes I think about technology and get taken aback by why some ideas haven’t been realized, and what direction the industry is going in. One idea that has kept popping up in my mind over the past few weeks is why files on computers are inaccessible if you’re not on the right computer or network.
I’ve been dealing here and there with the limitations of corporate IT networks, imposed by working from home, and I remember having files locked away on my work computer. But overall, it’s a problem that affects everyone and that everyone has gotten used to.
If you have a file on your computer (this may be another reason I hate files so much), it’s not universally accessible to you on your other computers or devices by default. You need to activate either the services that come with your operating system from your operating system manufacturer or deploy a 3rd-party solution. Then you’ll also need those same systems installed on a secondary computer from which to retrieve the data.
I have a bunch of information in books and notepads that only exists where the notebook is. But my files are digital bits, and they live on computers that are usually connected to the Internet, the amazing sexy thing that it is. But the way things are now, my digital information is usually no more capable than my paper technology.
After getting this picture in my mind of all my digital information being accessible anywhere, the way things are now makes it seem like we’re stuck in the Middle Ages.
That picture in my mind is making me realize how slowly some things change, but it’s also making me appreciate the form big changes take, and the small, obvious ideas that change everything… Like installing a store for applications on your computer and making it part of the operating system.
But I get the sense that we’re always going to see 10 grandiose launches that fizzle for every 1 small change that has an impact. No doubt launched by the same competitors again and again.
What I’m going to do is spend some time on other ways that I think computing needs to change. And I’ll try and find those really obvious, but believable futures to hope for.
