Midway Arpt., ILI work as a computer programmer and IT consultant. I also enjoy the normal things other people do, as well, like intimate moments with my girlfriend, a nice glass of wine with friends, grilling with out on the deck, and taking pictures of all of it. What I absolutely do NOT enjoy is the pain of dealing with a photo CD.
You know the ones I’m talking about,the ones you get from some mega-store in a matter of minutes when you bring your digital camera in and plug it into one of their machines that puts clerks out of jobs every day. Presto…you get a CD with some film and ecologically irresponsible chemical conglomerate’s branding emblazoned all over it, and a promise of a lifetime of wonderful memories constantly at your fingertips.
You take the ugly-bright CD home, plug it into your computer, then some window opens demanding you to install some software and view your photos. I, of course, am too smart to fall for that one, so I just shut down the software installation, and open up Windows Explorer. I see the CD drive, and there’s that nasty logo again, telling me it has taken over my CD drive. I double click the CD drive so I can drag and drop my photos to where I want, and that installation window opens up again. The bastards! I can’t get to the CD contents without installing their proprietary software!
I suppose the reasons leading up to this sort of demented are two-fold. First, there are the users. Everyone wants everything to be easy, automated, a no-brainer, and set it and forget it. Then you have the software industry, who tells everybody their programs will do everything for you including slice, dice, find you a job, buy you a house, and think. Along the way, it is very easy to provide your credit card and billing information to buy things from them in the future. Then it will be just as much a no-brainer for you to spend more money in the future.
Big Software Gonna Git Ya!
Just give me a few mega-pixels on a moderately priced camera and a USB cable any day. I don’t want to trouble my already fragile and over-taxed system with another software installation, nor do I want to wait for the installation or for this program to open just to get my pictures. I just want my pictures!
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I feel ya, man. I’m an IT manager for a music school. Automatic software confuses as much as it helps!