Before we get all nostalgic about MacOS, let's just take a moment to remember how far behind it was in the late 90's. Windows 95 had preemptive multitasking. MacOS did not. If a program running on MacOS didn't feel like relinquishing control back to the OS, tough.
OSX finally added preemptive multitasking but, for a long time, it continued to provide little in the way of user customization. It was the Apple way or the highway. If you happened to like the Apple way this was fine. If you had other ideas, it was painful. Linux and Windows were both far more customizable.
On the Windows side of things, DOS was beautifully simple but horribly limited and, at times, not very simple to use. Half the challenge of PC gaming in the 90's was just getting the games to run! Who remembers what IRQ their soundcard used?
Things have gotten easier to use, but also more complicated. Complexity and ease of use are not necessarily opposing or entwined.
Some Windows applications are contained entirely within their program folder. Executables, libraries, configuration files, all in one place. If you move it to another drive, all you have to do is update the shortcut and it will work. If you move it to a new PC, just run the executable and it will work, complete will all your old settings. If you want to mess with its config files, you know where they are.
Other applications have bits and pieces widely distributed across various system folders hidden deep within hidden directories. If you try to move it, it will break. If you try to copy it to a new PC, it won't work. If you try to edit the config files, there might be two or three copies in different locations, one of which supersedes the others.
We don't need to return to the dark days of MacOS and DOS to make things simpler under the hood and easier for users to mess around with. We all want to write programs that are intuitive when they're running, but perhaps we also need to make them intuitive to mess around with when they're not running. OS's and programs can still be complex and user friendly even if we embrace simpler and more hackable installation footprints. Heck, just leaving comments in the config files to explain what things do would be a giant leap forward for some programs.
Stop treating software like turnkey installations and more like cars. Expect some of your customers to look under the hood and make modifications.
OSX finally added preemptive multitasking but, for a long time, it continued to provide little in the way of user customization. It was the Apple way or the highway. If you happened to like the Apple way this was fine. If you had other ideas, it was painful. Linux and Windows were both far more customizable.
On the Windows side of things, DOS was beautifully simple but horribly limited and, at times, not very simple to use. Half the challenge of PC gaming in the 90's was just getting the games to run! Who remembers what IRQ their soundcard used?
Things have gotten easier to use, but also more complicated. Complexity and ease of use are not necessarily opposing or entwined.
Some Windows applications are contained entirely within their program folder. Executables, libraries, configuration files, all in one place. If you move it to another drive, all you have to do is update the shortcut and it will work. If you move it to a new PC, just run the executable and it will work, complete will all your old settings. If you want to mess with its config files, you know where they are.
Other applications have bits and pieces widely distributed across various system folders hidden deep within hidden directories. If you try to move it, it will break. If you try to copy it to a new PC, it won't work. If you try to edit the config files, there might be two or three copies in different locations, one of which supersedes the others.
We don't need to return to the dark days of MacOS and DOS to make things simpler under the hood and easier for users to mess around with. We all want to write programs that are intuitive when they're running, but perhaps we also need to make them intuitive to mess around with when they're not running. OS's and programs can still be complex and user friendly even if we embrace simpler and more hackable installation footprints. Heck, just leaving comments in the config files to explain what things do would be a giant leap forward for some programs.
Stop treating software like turnkey installations and more like cars. Expect some of your customers to look under the hood and make modifications.