Apple’s autosaving software
One of the things I hate the most on software makers is when they treat all users as if they were dumb. This is the case of Apple software. Every time I use iMovie to make a recording I spend some time worrying about where the actual stuff is stored at every point. The program is supposed to be so “smart” that duplicates your videos to the local iMovie library and then it saves the project and your modifications automatically, “magically”. Theoretically without you having to worry about it whatsoever and only having to wow at every new beautiful feature you come across. However, the opposite is true, and factual evidence is easily noticed when searching for “imovie lost project” in Google and finding tons of frustrated folks (i.e: this is one, this is another, and yet another, …).
Same stuff happens with GarageBand. Today we recorded a 40minutes podcast episode with GB and when we were done, happy and satisfied with the episode, preparing stuff to get back home, we happened to go “Save as” and, wow, all the “magic behind the scenes” of Apple slapped in our faces and the .aif file of the recording got deleted forever. Now, if there’s any notion any software engineering or user experience engineer should ever have clear from the start is interface metaphors are meant to be accurate. That is, when a user click “Save”, she is probably not looking forward to delete the whole damn thing. Have a look at the endless thread for this problem at Apple’s Garageband forum.
But it all comes from the same principle of Apple, the principle of they controlling everything and users just wowing at the company’s wonders and playing their sheep role, doing baby-like limited options and sticking to them forever. We developers are given a couple of more options and a thousand of more rules to follow but that’s it. This is Steve Job’s concept of freedom.
Well, it turns out I don’t need anyone to manage my work, I want to write my software and give it, or sell it the way I want. I want to use programs and save the stuff when and where I feel like. I’d rather stick to my old-looking but reliable interfaces.
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Tags: apple software policygarage band lost fileimovie lost project
