Comments on: Progress: default http://wrecking.org/cbd/2006/05/31/progress-default/ Software studies, technical communication, writing studies, web accessibility, and new media. Life with my girls. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:53:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: cbd http://wrecking.org/cbd/2006/05/31/progress-default/#comment-1243 cbd Thu, 01 Jun 2006 17:08:20 +0000 http://wrecking.org/cbd/?p=166#comment-1243 Good question. Little changes do go a very, very long way. I had our sysadmins tweak Windows so the web browser started on our help page. Almost immediately, the number of questions we got about computer classrooms declined. I've never really bought claims of false identity like this one, especially the "false consciousness" model of ideology, which just seems too simplistic to me (and maybe a bit elitist as well). Stuart Hall's work is very useful in that regard. When I started thinking about this essay I was really focusing on the issue of the supposedly coopted identity formed by customization; now I'm balancing that with more work about the nature of defaults themselves. In some ways, that brings me back to ease---why are people content with the default? Why do they have a "get along, go along" or highly functional attitude toward technology? Re: MediaWiki, obviously, it lacks some of the functionality I've grown accustomed to in Emacs and OpenOffice. I miss word completion, in particular, and my editors will probably miss spellcheck ;) Perhaps I should try Writely or something similar which is still web-based but offers a more robust interface. Good question. Little changes do go a very, very long way. I had our sysadmins tweak Windows so the web browser started on our help page. Almost immediately, the number of questions we got about computer classrooms declined.

I’ve never really bought claims of false identity like this one, especially the “false consciousness” model of ideology, which just seems too simplistic to me (and maybe a bit elitist as well). Stuart Hall’s work is very useful in that regard.

When I started thinking about this essay I was really focusing on the issue of the supposedly coopted identity formed by customization; now I’m balancing that with more work about the nature of defaults themselves. In some ways, that brings me back to ease—why are people content with the default? Why do they have a “get along, go along” or highly functional attitude toward technology?

Re: MediaWiki, obviously, it lacks some of the functionality I’ve grown accustomed to in Emacs and OpenOffice. I miss word completion, in particular, and my editors will probably miss spellcheck ;) Perhaps I should try Writely or something similar which is still web-based but offers a more robust interface.

]]> By: Dan http://wrecking.org/cbd/2006/05/31/progress-default/#comment-1238 Dan Thu, 01 Jun 2006 10:38:27 +0000 http://wrecking.org/cbd/?p=166#comment-1238 Congratulations on this good progress. Just a knee jerk reaction to the false economy claim: I wonder how your accessability advice fits in--just make a small change to start. It's the kind of thing like turning off the highlight the entire word setting in word--something that helps me but doesn't go that deeply. I'd say that is a usable gesture even if it doesn't replace the default economy. Composing in a wiki?--now that's hardcore ;-) Congratulations on this good progress. Just a knee jerk reaction to the false economy claim: I wonder how your accessability advice fits in–just make a small change to start. It’s the kind of thing like turning off the highlight the entire word setting in word–something that helps me but doesn’t go that deeply. I’d say that is a usable gesture even if it doesn’t replace the default economy. Composing in a wiki?–now that’s hardcore ;-)

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