The Paradox of Choice 537
sproketboy writes "Psychology professor Barry Schwartz has written a book which is a must read by those wanting to get Linux on the Desktop.
Dr. Schwartz examines the problem of too much choice in our society. Maybe Microsoft has it right after all?
Here's a video interview with Dr. Schwartz,
a review of the book from the New Yorker and
more info from PBS." Of course, the choice issue applies to far more than desktop computers, but is still instructive in that area. Thanks to Stefan Hudson for a SciAm story that has more information.
I choose (Score:0, Funny)
Three Links?! (Score:5, Funny)
should i post (Score:4, Funny)
Too much choice? (Score:3, Funny)
Linux (and Pizza) is like a Blowjob, no matter how bad it is, its still pretty good!
annoying... (Score:5, Funny)
Then again, if we didn't have as many choices, I might not be able to find one thing I like in the first place, and thus probably wouldn't go back to eat there - I'll choose to go somewhere else.
But if that choice was taken away, I'd have to eat something I didn't particularly like, which never killed anyone.
Morale of the story? Having too many choices is the real reason I'm a picky eater.
Re:Too much choice? (Score:1, Funny)
Get a life!
Re:Too much choice? (Score:5, Funny)
Summery for those who can't choose a link (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Too much choice? (Score:5, Funny)
It's just like... (Score:4, Funny)
So many fetishes, so little kleenex.
Josh
This just in! (Score:2, Funny)
Re:LotD (Score:2, Funny)
If Linus was sitting on my desktop, it would be pretty hard for me to work.
Re:Too many choices?? Hardly (Score:5, Funny)
What the hell is this "meat"? Just give me a store full of gray boxes labelled "Food", damnit!
HP Cafeteria (Score:5, Funny)
Lunch, the HP Way
by Stephen Harrison and Noel Magee
This is the story of a different kind. No melting CPU's, no screaming disc drives, just the kind of psychological torture that scars a man for life.
I had a 9:00 meeting with my sales rep. I needed to buy an entire new series 70, the works. He said it'd take about an hour. Three hours later, we'd barely got the datacomm hardware down on paper, so he invited me downstairs for lunch.
This was my first experience in an HP cafeteria. Above the service counter was a menu which began...
MMU's (Main Menu Units)
0001A Burger. Includes sesame-seed bun.
Must order comdiments 00110A separately
001 Deletes seeds.
002 Expands burger to two patties.
00020A Double cheeseburger, preconfigured. Includes cheese,
bun and condiments.
001 Add-on bacon.
002 Delete second patty.
003 Replaces second patty with extra cheese.
00021A Burger Upgrade to Double Cheeseburger
001 From Single Burger.
002 From Double Burger.
003 Return credit for bun.
00220A Burger Bundle. Includes 00010A, 00210A and 00310A
001 Substitute root beer 00311A for cola 00310A.
My eyes glazed over. I asked for a burger and a root beer. The waitress looked at me like I was an alien.
"How would you like to order that, sir?"
"Quickly, if possible. Can't I just order a sandwich and a drink?"
"No sir. All our service is menu driven. Now what would you like?"
I scanned the menu. "How big is the 00010 burger?"
"The patty is rated at eight bites."
"Well, how about the rest of it?"
"I dont have the specs on that, sir, but I think it's a bit more."
"Eight bites is too small. Give me the Double Burger Upgrade."
My sales rep interrupted. "No, you want the Single Burger option 002 'expands burger to two patties'. The double burger upgrade would give you two burgers.
"But you could get return credit on the extra bun," the waitress chimed in, trying to be helpful, "although it isn't documented."
I looked around to see if anybody was staring at me. There was a couple in line behind us. I recognized one of them, a guy who merely mowed me down in the parking lot with his cherry-red '62 Vette. He was talking to some woman who was waving her arms around and looking very excited.
"What if... we marketed the bacon cheeseburger with the vegetable option and without the burger and cheese? It'd be a BLT!"
The woman charged off in the direction of the telephone, running steeplechases over tables and chairs. My waitress tried to get my attention again. "Have you decided, sir?"
"Yeah, give me the double burger- excuse me, I mean the 00020A with the option 001. I want everything on it." She put me down for the Condiment Expansion Kit, which included mayonnaise, mustard and pickles with a option to substitute relish.
"Ketchup." I hated to ask. "I want ketchup on that, too."
"That's not a condiment, sir, it's a Tomato Product." My sales rep butted in again. "That's not a supported configuration."
"What now?" I kept my voice steady.
"Too juicy. The bun can't handle it."
"Look. Forget the ketchup, just put some lettuce and tomatoes on it."
The waitress backed away from the counter. "I'm sorry, sir, but that's not supported either, the bun can take it but the burger won't fit in the box. The sales rep defended himself. "Just not at first release." "It is being beta-tested, sir."
I checked the overhead screen. Fries, number 000210A, option 110. French followed by option 120, English. "What the hell are English Fries?" I turned to the sales rep. "Chips they call them. We sell a lot of them."
I gave up. "OK, OK just give me a plain vanilla Burger Bundle." The confused the waitress profoundly. "Sir, Vanilla as an option is configured
Re:Too many choices?? Hardly (Score:1, Funny)
The boxes are blue and yellow, not gray. They say 'Kraft Dinner' on the front.
Choose Your Own Adventure (Score:3, Funny)
"Do you want to repair the damaged robot? Turn to p. 42"
"Or you want to flee with the princess? Turn to p.22"
Choices? Bah! I just gave up and went with the old "one narrative only" books. Much more satisfying.
George Carlin (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Freedom of Choice (Score:3, Funny)
Referring to another reply, yes, it is VERY painful to know that Swiffer is using "Whip it" to sell to housewives. I only hope it's some sort of sick, jocko-homo joke by the spudboys on all of us...
Re:Too many choices?? Hardly (Score:1, Funny)
he had me at hello.
Re:Too many choices?? Hardly (Score:4, Funny)
I used to ask for "human, lean breast" but now they just call the cops when they see me coming. :-(
I don't get no respect.
As seen in the popular movie.... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Too many choices?? Hardly (Score:3, Funny)
Why didn't anyone tell me that before I decided to get married? It was hell until I got divorced.
--jeff++
Re:Too many choices?? Hardly (Score:1, Funny)
Hmm, lets see... Regular, deisal, hybrid, eletric, leaded additive required, hydrogen, yup looks identical there. Mixing and matching fuels would never kill an engine. They all reload their power systems the same way.
>If I buy a Ford, I don't need to take training because my last car was a Pontiac.
Thats right, because both Ford and Pontiac have standardized on automatic transmission so there is only one way to operate the car and I don't have to learn more than one way.
>Hell, even the order of the gears on an automatic are the same (P R N D 1 2 3).
Darn right. Absolutely. All of them have low 3, and no automatic has more than one "drive" option like overdrive to choose from. Exactly the same.
>Contrast that with Linux distros where some applications are present, and some are not.
Yep, and all cars have A/C, power windows, cruze control. Yep, always there.
>Some applications are placed here, and some are placed there.
>(Your quote above) Sure, the placement of the A/C or cruise controls are a little different...
Good thing these concepts you gave don't contradict each other in your argument.
>Some will work with hardware better than others.
Isn't that anoying. Every moron knows that with cars you can replace a door on any 98 Chevy with a 2002 Ford in five minutes. They are all built to exactly the same dimensions and wireing.
>THIS is why Windows is winning the desktop day in and day out. It has nothing to do with monopolies or political bullying.
Preach it brother. Everyone knows that Apple isn't king because it offered ten times the amount of choices that Windows did.
>...create a single, standard, default desktop that is consistent across all distros.
Yes, its pathetic how the various companies can't sit down and agree to a single unified desktop regardless if they like the final decision or not. After all, look how Microsoft gave up its vision of a desktop just to create a standard with Apple.
>For those contemplating such flames...get a clue. No one is suggesting locking anyone into a "one size fits all soylent world"
Thats right. And your statements in no way assume that only Microsoft could be that base. You are very willing to accept anything, includeing any given Linux distribution, so long as everyone always starts wiuth it.
Good argument. I support you all the way.
When I was a kid.....and we loved it! (Score:1, Funny)
A Theory of Choice involving Maximizers and Satisficers? It's hard to believe that physicists used to make fun of String Theory?
Re:Too many choices?? Hardly (Score:2, Funny)
When one of my end users calls and says "Why can't I...", I take great satisfaction in saying "Because you can't, have a nice day." God-like system administrators aren't so bad...as long as I'm one of them.
Re:Too many choices?? Hardly (Score:3, Funny)
Your [britneyspears.com]
wish [georgewbush.com]
is [ashton-kutcher.net]
my [jessicasimpson.com]
command [tori-spelling.com].
Looking at this list, it's a bit blonde-heavy. It seems further research into this strange pattern formation is required.