ease of use devours the soul! 
i want software i use to feel like my mom’s iron pan. the pan requires skill, care, and understanding. it says “if you learn to use me, i’ll serve you forever. but you have to care.”
the opposite is something like an air fryer. it’s immediately easy to use, but it can never feel as real and human as an iron pan.
i want my tools to require _effort_ from me. i want to have to invest in them a little. otherwise they feel like ghosts.
optimizing for ease of use is often consumeristic. the end result is single-use plastic cartridges and disposable appliances.
@j3s as you know, I strongly disagree with this...
The pervasive unusability of Linux, server side / "production" software is a consequence of capital driving all "mass-usable" software development for the past 40 years.
Big capital created the computer usability industry, and they maintain a monopoly on it to this day...
Regardless of where it came from, I wouldn't be here without computer usability. I think most of us wouldn't. I still see potential good coming from computers, I don't want them to be like gas meters where only a fraction of a percent of the population ever uses them.
@j3s if we reject / cancel usability wholesale, because it is the primary tool of surveillance capitalism, I think that works to undermine any potential possible future for computing outside of the context of surveillance capitalism.
It might work for you, that's fine. But we also need things that will encourage those who have never tried to write a program or host a website before.
And at any rate, I think the cast iron pan analogy is flawed. I think you like cast iron BECAUSE its usable. Its more forgiving and easier to use while cooking, and it lasts longer, it becomes uniquely your own.
I'd argue Teflon is LESS usable because it releases extremely reactive/toxic flourine gas at high temps. Metal utensils / dish soap will permanently damage it and make it more likely to degrade.
Have you ever tried cooking with one of those new non stick Ceramic pans? They're great, even better than cast iron IMO as long as you handle them carefully to avoid shattering. And I think the same goes for software: we can do better. Steal the usability from capital and give it to the next generation, no login or API key required.
This has already been happening quietly for years and I think without it, communities like these would not even exist.
@forestjohnson
i’m a big proponent of usability. the tools i write are far more usable than most tools in the wild, in terms of installation _and_ operation. they’re just not “hyper-optimized” for ease of use to the random human.
hyper-optimizing for consumer ease of use leads to disposable plastic razer cartridges, instead of the only slightly harder to use steel blade.
a safety razer has the balance i like - a learning curve, a small skill, a reliable, serviceable tool.
@forestjohnson hyper-optimizing for usability inevitably leads to code that is harder to understand and maintain, which is a boon for a community that is not paid to do work.
being overly empathetic to the random layman means being _less_ empathetic to the people who have to maintain the code, but are not experts (aka: me), because the code is probably more complicated.
my energy is limited, i can only handle a certain amount of complexity in a codebase before i just give up.
@j3s yeah, this is true, to me this is the greatest tragedy of our age.
I don't have any solutions / answers really, besides "it only takes a small group of people to maintain the code, and then everyone can use it".
I'm hoping that as usability pros age out of the workforce ( tech worker FIRE grows ) this can be more realistic, but right now it seems to be just hope.
