Author uses aircraft cockpits as an example of "improvement".
I've been getting back into DCS recently, and one thing that's struck me with the A-10C (II) is just how incredibly resilient the entire design is.
Sure there's a lot of work starting the aircraft and setting up systems etc, and there's an immense learning curve, however you have a staggering amount of redundancy in case of failures, in all levels of the aircraft design.
As a consequence, pilots have been able to limp home ridiculously damaged planes, surviving to fight another day and go back to their children.
Then there's the F-16. I've only just begun to scratch the surface of this one, the simulation is equally as amazing as the A-10C. This aircraft is likewise very manual, but if something goes wrong the pilot has immediate control; in the F-35 (from what I've read) he would be completely reliant on the glass/ computers working as intended / desired, with a level of complexity that makes Tesla's entire FSD program appear as basic calculus.
That's perhaps a big tangent to computing, however I strongly feel that simplifying everything might take away more than you add. The best designs would combine quick, express usage functionality with expert panels for advanced, expert users/usage. This should be combined with a transparency of design that allows their users to understand the underpinnings.
That's a good point at the end, and where we'd like to be. Unfortunately dev time is always a finite resource, especially for an early-stage product. You need to pick one over the other - at least a little.
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Author uses aircraft cockpits as an example of "improvement".
I've been getting back into DCS recently, and one thing that's struck me with the A-10C (II) is just how incredibly resilient the entire design is.
Sure there's a lot of work starting the aircraft and setting up systems etc, and there's an immense learning curve, however you have a staggering amount of redundancy in case of failures, in all levels of the aircraft design.
As a consequence, pilots have been able to limp home ridiculously damaged planes, surviving to fight another day and go back to their children.
Then there's the F-16. I've only just begun to scratch the surface of this one, the simulation is equally as amazing as the A-10C. This aircraft is likewise very manual, but if something goes wrong the pilot has immediate control; in the F-35 (from what I've read) he would be completely reliant on the glass/ computers working as intended / desired, with a level of complexity that makes Tesla's entire FSD program appear as basic calculus.
That's perhaps a big tangent to computing, however I strongly feel that simplifying everything might take away more than you add. The best designs would combine quick, express usage functionality with expert panels for advanced, expert users/usage. This should be combined with a transparency of design that allows their users to understand the underpinnings.
That's a good point at the end, and where we'd like to be. Unfortunately dev time is always a finite resource, especially for an early-stage product. You need to pick one over the other - at least a little.
true, but usually not the limiting factor.
more to the point; money is a finite resource if the product is intended to generate a profit.