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Re:Malleable Systems: Software must be as easy to change as ... by arghwhat on Monday April 13, 2020 @09:20PM (#22861904)
Complex ≠ useful. A TV and a set top of your choice box is simple useful. A smart TV does the same thing, but is complex and inflexible.
Re:Malleable Systems: Software must be as easy to change as ... by munchbunny on Tuesday April 14, 2020 @12:43AM (#22862821)
I just attached a desktop PC to mine... so now it’s more complicated and does everything I want. =P

Doesn’t require much complexity from the TV though.

Jokes aside, sometimes simplicity is judged on different criteria. Everyone’s favorite example is Craigslist (ugly, but actually quite simple once you grok it), but I can name a few others where the actual criteria for simplicity can be hard to define.

Bash, for example. It takes a while before you really realize what the scripting can actually do and what Unix pipes can do. Once you see it, it makes a ton of sense, but until you grok the abstractions, it's just a pile of syntactic mush you can't remember. It's simple for what it does, but the problem itself has a lot of complexity.

I believe the same thing about Vim. It requires training because while its modes become simple after you start to get it, it's an irritatingly arduous road to get there. So from the perspective of a lay user... not simple at all. From the perspective of an expert, it's effective to the point of religion.

Re:Malleable Systems: Software must be as easy to change as ... by arghwhat on Tuesday April 14, 2020 @12:12PM (#22867723)
True. SmartTV's may appear simple, but I am fairly certain that their simplicity crumbles for most users quickly.

Say, once a user just wants to play games on a console and has to wait for a TV to boot and prompt you to install updates, when a user wants to use AppleTV instead of Android TV, or when they want to upgrade the smarts.

I think the man reason people think this is simpler is that manufacturers force it down consumers' throats as this setup sells more units due to planned obsolescence.

Re:Malleable Systems: Software must be as easy to change as ... by saagarjha on Monday April 13, 2020 @10:45PM (#22862276)
And I can often run my own software on the set-top box, too, if I’m really interested in customizing it. With TVs this is usually harder.