Posted by Matt Harrell on March 25th, 2010 
I had a great conversation this morning with Tony Dye. Tony is a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy. He spends a lot of his time consulting business and churches on technology and his passion for finding new tools is inspiring. It’s evident when you speak with him, visit his blog or do anything Church IT RoundTable related. This morning Tony mentioned that back in the day, everyone was so excited for “software” because it was going to make our lives so much easier. So, has it? That’s the question that Tony is still asking today.
Has software made our lives easier? Has the quality of life been improved with software or has it added complexity to our lives? Now I know that there are so many factors to consider here. Like age group, industry, and type just to name a few, but I’m asking a more rhetorical question. While software and devices such as the iPhone have revolutionized the way we live our lives, there still seem to be so many people that fight day-in and day-out with software. One of the funniest (albeit very crude) articles I’ve ever read was a post on The Onion which was a fictitious counterpoint argument between a bubbly staff receptionist and her computer. Let’s just say that the computer had some pretty ugly things to say about the receptionist.
But what’s the deal? Especially in the church world. Is it just me, or does it seem like a lot of folks feel as if they are constantly battling their software and making their lives more difficult. What do you think?
[I don't know who to give credit to for that image. It's from the movie Office Space.]
First, you are far too kind, but thanks! I can't imagine what life would be like without a computer, Internet connectivity, cell phone, etc. But I'd sure like to be able to safely show up at a friend or family member's home and not be afraid that I'll have to fix something because "normal people" don't get it. And why should they have to? I know what we're trying to do is far more complex, but I always think back to calculators. If you go to the store and buy a calculator (or pick up a free one), how much training do you need before you can use it? Almost the same story for a car — go rent one that's unlike anything you've ever driven before, and how much help do you need before you can drive it. And then we have software…
It's amazing. That's why Apple's relentless pursuit to make computing easier is so impressive. My 3 year old daughter can take mommy's iPhone, open it up, scroll to the last page on the right, find her game, open and it and start playing. :). Thanks Tony.
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The vast majority of today’s population can’t imagine a life without computer systems. Computers and their application have been closely entwined with our day to day lives. Where demands increase, supplies automatically improve too. The elevated usage of computer and its applications demand an elevated number of pc professionals.