As an article in Fortune magazine put it, software is everywhere, in the office, the kitchen, and even the bedroom (Schlender, 1996). There has been an explosion of new creations for all purposes. Not everyone, however, is on board with the computer revolution, and even those who have computer systems are frequently dissatisfied. There is a great deal of promise in the computer revolution, but people sometimes expect more than can be delivered. The intention in the following pages is to look at some of the current trends in the computer software industry and then look at the software situation from the end user perspective.
Perhaps the most notable trend in computer software is simply toward more. There is a real emphasis on creating software for everything that people can imagine, and on constantly refining those packages that already do exist.
In its discussion of the computer software industry, PC/Computing (1997) indicated that what was notable about 1996 were the major advances in general usability, speed, and power. Although there were particular software packages that were impressive in the growing market, it was the focus on addressing some of the complaints of consumers about older software that was the dominant trend.
One of the stand out performers in that respect was connected to the Microsoft release of Windows 95 office products. Again, the emphasis was on usability, and on integration. In particular, PC/Computing noted that the Microsoft Office for Windows package was the best integrated application available to the consumer. The authors noted that Microsoft's stand alone suite components were also hard to top. What made these applications so successful was the fact that they allowed the consumer almost infinite possibilities in dealing with their office situations, while providing an extremely easy (supposedly) system to use (PC/Computing, 1997).
While Microsoft continued to lead the way in creatin...