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Google's Docs dilemma
Take the humble “document” as an example. For decades, document editing programs like word processors effectively emulated a printed sheet of paper, onto which the user typed with an emulated typewriter. Other software tools like spreadsheets did better, managing to escape complete skeuomorphism in favor of an infinite canvas. Notion is another goo... See more
Linus Lee • How we create | linus.coffee
Today’s document tools aren’t built for discussion. We’ve seen so many improvements in how you can write docs like collaborative editing, relational tables, fancy blocks, and more. These features are powerful but they incentivize us to polish and present our ideas. We should spend less time writing documents and more time discussing the ideas.
Ayesha Bose • Documents aren’t built for discussion.
Google Docs shows that great software programs hew more to a logic of elimination than of addition.
Sheon Han • How Google Docs Proved the Power of Less
Look at Google. Its heartbeat is erratic, unpredictable. It works for them—mostly, sometimes—but it could work so much better. Google arguably only has one big external heartbeat each year at Google I/O—and most teams don’t bother aligning with it. They typically launch whatever they want whenever they want throughout the year, sometimes with real
... See moreTony Fadell • Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making - The New York Times bestseller
The problem is that in trying to preserve the old experience, the 1st gen tools also preserved the restrictions of that world, and weren't able to tap into 2 big advantages of the new one:
Lea Boreland • Layers
The sad reality (and the opportunity for start-ups) is that most established products take their large userbases for granted and fail to maintain simplicity over time.