How MSWord bugs taught me separation of concerns. A webdev retrofuturism.

I remember the first time I typed a paper (school assignment) using a word processor. Word 95 on Windows 95a in this case. The feeling you get when it crashes on you after a dozen of carefully laid-out, themed pages. You start to be hypersensitive to fragile features like tables, or WordArt. Anything that triggers a crash, you delay it. Soon you start to reorder the process. Instead of going all-in, depth first, you think of layers of risks. The first layer, the simplest and obviously mandatory one (and yet the most * consuming) is feeding all the characters into the computer, and save it. When done you start to apply structure, then styles. Years later I learned about the html/css separation and was greatly amused.

I could also say that was my first handbased version control system, since every 5 minutes or so I'd save a file with a new name according to what steps were done. I could always fork a previous version and try a new way to achieve, or at least attempt, something. Tables are so capricious you know.

Getting things done, neighborhood scale

People must learn to build. Learn to understand a situation, and imagine a change, otherwise they will live in habits and reactionary behaviors.

"racist" complaints often include mundane statements like 'there are no more bakeries', 'I can't eat Italian anymore'. Pardon me but this is so shallow.

Questions:

• Have they all left ? Or only those you used to know ?
• Why have they left ? No more customers ? You are one. All plaintives are.
• Can't they sustain their business then ? It seems so.
• Do you want it ? It seems so.

What are you waiting for ? Organize, find a place, find a baker|cook|foo, and be happy.

You might think that is not your job. I think that is exactly what a community should be, people organizing themselves to suit their needs.