It was not so long ago when applications at big corps (used
to be called programs) were a niche thing but enter the digital era even the
word “program” is becoming obsolete in favour of the contemporary, less
intimidating, more socially appealing, I-am-keeping-up-with-the-times-thank-you
“application”. One wouldn’t lose points for ascribing this norm to the kind of System
on a Chip (SoC) applications are designed for. ARM based applications called “applications”
and x86 based applications tend to be called “programs” and ARM-based devices
(your smartphone and tablet) currently far outnumber x86 ones (your laptop,
desktop), but don’t worry about all of that, it’s not rocket science trust me.
This reasoning is not technically correct but neither is the use of the phrase
“till death do us part” in the same sentence as Kim Kadarshian.
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| Above: Evernote. This application should be imposed to everyone like taxes |
Thanks to the app store concept, there’s a myriad of free
third party applications that are suffering the abject injustice of a lack of
mass adoption. That’s not to say I am not aware of the security technicalities
that directly influence such a stance-by all means I do- the issue is that they’re
not considered at all. Even to the technologically informed like myself (and
chances are, you too since you’re reading this blog), applications serve as
another pilgrims (so to speak) at which we marvel at their laudable
functionality, neoteric design, grandiose intuitiveness et al, until we
discover a “slightly” better one then suddenly the former is an object of
nostalgia, you get the picture?
It’s for this propensity that some evolutionary productivity
applications are reduced to mere amusement tools for bragging rights just
because they (at least most of them) bear the word “free” in their tags and are
not native to whatever Operating System they may be being utilised on. A mockery
to their hollow potential.
Certainly a number of forward thinking businessmen who value
cost-effectiveness have found merit in the idea of better or similar, to what
they are used to, work automation at the full expense of some poor, talented
developer out there. But I imagine it’s the thought of stepping out of their
comfort zone and venturing into new, strange waters that inspire doubt in them –
supposing the “paid” and proven applications, they have grown accustomed to,
are incapable of error. That makes more static business sense. Note, I said
static. I used that term because once other big businesses become renowned for
the sole reason of utilising free applications to maximise profits, the rest
will follow. Pity!
If the corporate world, which is the one that drives innovation,
succumbs to such a lame pretence of erudition, it’ll be a while before we can
to the promise land.
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| Above: Pocket. Another underrated "free" third party app. With tag-based article sharing on the horizon, it'll only get better |
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