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Computing minimalism refers to keeping the environment of a computer Operating System as minimalist as possible (or as needed). Computing minimalism is usually endorsed by computer literates rather than beginners, since beginners appreciate the easy to use, feature rich environments that are presented to them (usually by default). Also, stripping unnecessary features from a computing environment or program in order to enhance productivity is a process that develops with usage. Beginners often start with a very large system and customize it gradually to fit their changing needs as they begin to remember the shortcuts, use the menus a little more, etc. It is important to note here that minimalism does not necessarily imply abandoning the GUI . However, since GUIs tend to use more resources and Command Line Interface programs tend to be more modular in functionality, the link between CLI and minimalism is strong. Still, there are some programs that need GUI because of their nature, like Graphics Editor s. DOMAINS OF APPLICATION Interface One reason (and probably the most important nowadays) to seek software minimalism is to increase the performance of the user. This kind of minimalism is illustrated by the user removing desktop icons, window decorations, toolbars or by the user preferring software with minimal Feature Bloat . Even if some find it easier to have everything on the desktop (one click away), many find that using the keyboard (keyboard shortcuts or simply a Terminal Emulator , instead of a mouse) is a lot faster. Also, removing toolbars and other window decorations allows the user to use more of his screen space for content. Removing functionality (such as Daemons that check email) may also increase the user's productivity by preventing interruptions and freeing up the CPU and RAM for more important tasks. Resources Some software comes with unnecessary features and use a large amount of resources (memory, CPU, etc). Minimalists try to replace these with lighter alternatives to improve performances (and start time in some cases). This goal tends to become less important as computing power increases, but more important as computer programs (especially operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows ) get more complicated or bloated and require more resources. It is also useful if one wishes to use an older, less powerful computer instead of upgrading in order to support a more resource-intensive environment. Programming Languages In Programming Language design, it is considered good practice to attempt to express language features in function of already existing language features, which relates directly to minimalism. For instance, in the Scheme Programming Language , control structures like a While Loop need not be defined at the language level, as they can be implemented using Hygienic Macro s, thus making the language specification smaller (which is minimalist) and reusing existing features. Philosophy Some users simply don't like the idea of getting useless (or, more accurately, not-used-by-them) stuff in their software. They may tend to remove Localisation s (like in Mac OS X 's Cocoa application) or do other things just for the sake of clarity and minimalism. They may sometimes remove thing that appear to them useless but are actually necessary: minimalists are not necessarily aware of what they are doing (this kind of minimalism —and its abuses— is not restricted to computing). HARDWARE Cases The Mac Mini is considered to be minimalist since it is compact and does not show its ports directly, thus greatly reducing unnecessary human exploring (of its surface). |
Image:Computertower750pixjpgTypical Generic(/
| "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/gamer" class="copylinks">Gamer ) case Considered not minimalist |
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