zlacker

>>flocia+(OP)
This makes me wonder what someone with less computer experience would do, ie if you're not a former computer professional.

Sure, open source makes everything rather accessible from a monetary point of view, but you still have to learn things. I almost feel like in the past there were more attempts at making this accessible to the end user, HyperCard, dbase etc, even just BASIC on your 8-bit machine.

Nowadays? Excel/Google Sheets for the most simple case, probably, but if you have to transfer data from/into there or present it differently? Web sites and GUIs aren't that easy, but it's what the users know.

If your point of interaction with a computer is more bare-bones (eg a BASIC/DOS prompt), solutions feel closer, easier to grasp.

>>mhd+jc

    > This makes me wonder what someone with less computer experience would do, ie if you're not a former computer professional.

One would simply make bread the same way as it has been done for 1000 years!

Humans can understand ratios, write stuff down, plan for the future, etc all without org-mode in emacs, databases, and sometimes without even a calculator.

>>crispy+6f
Down the street from me is a baker so good he doesn't even have any signage, you have to know it's there -- the line out the door at certain times might be a hint -- and as far as I can tell, other than punching in the prices in the minimum cash register required by law, they keep no records at the point of sale.

I don't know if he keeps spreadsheets or even databases elsewhere -- I hope he does, as he's an amazing baker and works his butt off, and I hope he makes tons of money. But I really don't think he has any record of, say, whether Rye or Spelt sells out faster. (It all sells out every day.)

So I wonder if there's some level of artistry where optimization might just be an annoying distraction.