Software

On this weeks episode of gdgt weekly (iTunes), Peter Rojas and Ryan Block discussed the new Android based phone.  For those of you who aren’t familiar, Android is Google’s new cellphone OS.  It is hailed as an open platform with very little restriction on developers and users.  I haven’t used the phone so I can’t provide any input on usability or comparability to other phones.

On gdgt they claimed that Android is better than Windows Mobile.  They brought up the fact that Windows Mobile has been around for awhile (currently on ver. 6.1) and this is Android’s first release.  They seemed pretty shocked/impressed that a the newcomer can outdo the old timer.  Personally, I don’t find this all that shocking.  If anything, I think it makes some sense that the first version software can be better than the seasoned veteran.

Google’s advantage comes from the sunk costs in a project.  The sunk costs are what you have put into a project that should be irrelevant when making future decisions.  Since they are already in the project and can’t be recovered there is no reason to consider them in future decisions.  The problem is that sunk costs often lead to commitment bias.  This bias causes a someone to stick with something because they have already put in time and money.  An example is putting a lot of money in a stock that then starts to lose value.  If you fall victim to the commitment bias then you will feel the need to stick with the stock because you have already “come this far”.

A commitment bias isn’t always caused by money.  It can develop because of the amount of time invested or even from irrational feelings.  This can manifest in software and OS development.  A team will spend a lot of time and money developing a UI.  Over time, the original idea may not be the best approach.  To fix it up, the team decides to do little fixes and enhancements.  The idea is they have already put in so much energy that minor fixes is all it needs.  Sometimes a better idea would be to scrap the design and start over.  The longer they stick with it, the harder it is to just start over.  This will eventually put the software at a competitive disadvantage as the competition implements a better UI.

Those developing a ver. 1.0 has less of a commitment bias because there will be less sunk costs.  They can test out different ideas with less guilt if they change directions.  They can also evaluate the competition more effectively.  If they see something wrong in the competition’s UI, they can leave it out early on instead of having to make drastic changes later.

It isn’t that shocking that a version 1.0 software can beat out a 6.0 or 7.0.  In fact, we have seen it at least twice over the past two years with both Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone.  The question now is whether Microsoft will pull away from previous biases and sunk costs to create something that will push the platform forward.

Come this December, I will have been a Mac user for 6 years. I got my first mac (a sexy little iBook) for Christmas. My uncle was working at Apple in Cupertino which provoked me to look into Apple computers.

After my first visit to apple.com I got intrigued by the veil of mystery that surrounded the Mac. At the time I didn’t know anyone that owned one. This presented me with the opportunity to be the first to learn about the technology. I could safely fiddle to my hearts content without anyone telling me a better way to do things. It gave me a chance to take the longest way possible to arrive at the simplest solution and learn new things along the way.

I had plenty of friends that knew about Windows. I even had some that knew about Linux. Due to this fact, I would always be second best. I wouldn’t have the chance to learn as much. If they asked what I was working on it would eventually lead to just giving me the answer. As long as there were others that used these operating systems, I would always be second best in my mind.

With the Mac I had free rein to explore until I saw fit. I could come up with my own weird ways to do things without anyone telling me to do it differently. I developed my own opinions on software and created new habits.

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Recently I have had the urge to learn Photoshop. I have always seen it as a powerful yet untameable beast. I have tried fiddling with the software before and got nowhere. There were just too many features and I didn’t even know the basics.

Awhile ago I heard about the site Lynda.com, which provides video tutorials covering a large range of subjects. The videos are led by some extremely talented professionals who really know their stuff. They peel back the various layers of the software, moving from the basics to more advanced techniques. The provide the viewer with numerous real world examples and teach tricks and shortcuts along the way.

Each subject (like Photoshop or Web Design) has multiple sets of videos that allow you to focus on specific topics and skills. Each set is then composed of many shorter videos that walk through the software. The short video format allows you to skip topics that you already know and cover a subject over many days. You can easily leave off on one video and pick up the next whenever you have time.

Lynda.com offers a couple free videos on every topic. However, to get the real benefit you should move up to the subscription plan for $25 a month. This is an outstanding price considering how much material is covered.

I am currently working through the Photoshop for Photographers and Creative Photographic Technique tutorials which are led by Chris Orwig. He does an excellent job of introducing ideas and techniques as well as reinforcing them throughout the trainings. If you have ever wanted to learn a piece of software I suggest giving lynda.com a look.