WHY I LIKE TASK MANAGERS
There is something comforting about opening a process list
and seeing every running program laid out in neat columns.
CPU usage. memory usage. thread count. no mystery.
I think software should expose itself honestly.
Most modern interfaces try too hard to feel magical.
I prefer software that looks like it was assembled by a
municipal engineering department in 1994.
PID NAME MEMORY
001 kernel.exe 12 MB
004 taskview.exe 1 MB
011 editor.exe 3 MB
Maybe this is why I keep rewriting small utilities instead
of doing anything useful.
WINDOW BORDERS ARE IMPORTANT
I don't understand why everything now has to be rounded.
Square corners are efficient. They stack correctly.
They imply seriousness.
A good window should look like it belongs in an industrial
control room attached to a hydroelectric dam.
Also:
- title bars should be blue
- menus should stay visible
- dialogs should never animate
- applications should launch instantly
- configuration files should be text
SMALL PROGRAMS
I spent all weekend writing a utility that watches process
creation events and logs them to a text file.
It probably already exists somewhere but writing it myself
felt better.
while (running) {
check_processes();
sleep(1);
}
The executable is 42 KB.
This feels spiritually correct.
COMPUTER ROOM
The best environment for programming:
- dim lighting
- desk fan humming quietly
- old radio playing softly
- tower case with side panel removed
- single mechanical click from hard drive every few minutes
Sometimes I leave process monitor windows open just because
they look reassuring.