Personal Productivity Tools (History of Content Part 2)

In the beginning there was Excel. Well first there was VisiCalc then there was Lotus 1-2-3 then there was Excel. Then there was also Word - ignoring WordStar & WordPerfect for now. Then there was Powerpoint.

And lo the trinity of personal productivity tools was complete. And verily were the people more productive. Well some of the time. Provided they didn't have to work with anyone else. Because when they did, the version control for Excel & Word documents would get screwed up - even with the track changes option on (because several people would need to change documents in concurrently rather than consecutively).

Word, Excel & Powerpoint have subtly shaped the way the work - and therefore who we are. Not in a major, like the ideas & practices of Islam shaped the lives of those converted or born into that faith (and also those who traded with them). But in a myriad of imperceptible ways. And in turn the nature of our jobs & desires has chaped their development in the technology dialectic.

Personal computers fitted in well with an individual, task-focused world. They have got steadily less personal over the last 15 years - their island solitude breached by the technologies of email, the internet, IM & the management injunctions to collaborate, cooperate & team, goddamnit, people ("Look, we all went off on that one day course and did the 'catching one another' exercise, I think we work together pretty well, don't we guys? Er, guys?").

An Englishman's laptop is no longer his castle. Which is why I think the replacement of personal productivity tools with collective productivity tools is likely to happen. However it won't happen tomorrow nor will it necessarily lead to more democratic workplaces - not all Collectives are friendly (just ask the Soviets).


"Our collaboration suite is just fine thank you..."