Waves of Operating Systems and what it tells us about NLE evolution

The present and future of post production business and technology by Philip Hodgetts

We were thinking about the evolution of computers over dinner – the fact that we’re both reading the Steve Jobs biography right now might have something to do with it – and I realized there were parallels between the evolution of the “PC” and the evolution of the NLE.

The first iteration of computer were mainframes. Very specialized and expensive devices, used only by highly skilled and trained technicians, who’s primary job was as the servant of the machine that would do work for others.

Skip forward a couple of years to the personal computer. Largely disliked but functional in a business environment with an IT support staff. “Learning the computer” was not most people’s favorite task, although there were some that relished the control being able to ‘tinker’ with settings gave them. Most people just wanted a computer to “just work”, but with a little effort most people could get them to do mostly what they wanted. read more...