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Woke up at night

Posted by Rene Jansen Tue, 21 Jun 2005 12:08:00 GMT

About a year ago, it must have been May 2004, I woke up at night with a thought... Isn't it sad: we are working hours a day on our computers, but computers are still based on some computer metaphores that were designed more than 20 years ago. Computers just know about:

• Files
• Folders
• Applications

Our desktop is actually nothing more than a combined “file browser and application launcher”. I am a knowledge worker, and I am using my computer to manage my daily work. I am not really interested in files or folders. To me, relevant concepts in my work are things like:

• Projects
• Tasks
• Meetings
• Contact persons
• Messages
• Reports
• Etc...

The gap between the computer world and the user is filled by applications like Outlook, Palm Desktop or Lotus Notes. These programs act like the “new” central desktop: We find ourselves managing our daily life from an email program. So, what's the big deal? Well, I think we would benefit from having something like a next generation email program, that would be build based on concepts and tasks that I am familiar with. A program which would not block me, but supports me. So, there you got it, my idea. Sounds straight forward, right? But I realised myself that this was enough inspiration to consider to start my own company and solve this problem. If I would not succeed, at least I would have created the perfect working environment for myself. And, if I would succeed, well, the world would be at least a slightly better place...