Chapter 15: Making Software Smart

Overview

Because every instruction in every program must pass single-file through the CPU, we tend to optimize our code for this needle's eye. Programmers work hard to keep the number of instructions to a minimum, assuring snappy performance for the user. What we often forget, however, is that as soon as the CPU has hurriedly finished all its work, it waits idle, doing nothing, until the user issues another command. We invest enormous efforts in reducing the computer's reaction time, but we invest little or no effort in putting it to work proactively when it is not busy reacting to the user. Our software commands the CPU as though it were in the army, alternately telling it to hurry up and wait. The hurry up part is great, but the waiting needs to stop.

AXIOM 

The computer does the work, and the user does the thinking.

The division of labor in the computer age is very clear: The computer does the work, and the user does the thinking. Computer scientists tantalize us with visions of artificial intelligence: computers that think for themselves. However, users don't really need much help in the thinking department. They do need a lot of help with the work of information management—activities like finding and organizing information—but the actual decisions made from that information are best made by the wetware—us.

There is some confusion about smart software. Some naive observers think that smart software is actually capable of behaving intelligently, but what the term really means is that these programs are capable of working hard even when conditions are difficult and even when the user isn't busy. Regardless of our dreams of thinking computers, there is a much greater and more immediate opportunity in simply getting our computers to work harder. This chapter discusses some of the most important ways that software can work a bit harder to serve humans better.