

Feature checklist dysfunction - tzury
http://www.marco.org/380868888

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ZeroGravitas
Bit of a hysterical rant ✓

Written in the over-defensive Apple- _fanboi_ style ✓

Tells me nothing I didn't know ✓

There's nothing wrong with checklists, it's just information, unless you have
some weird compulsion to claim that the one with the most, or the fewest, is
in some way superior. That's the dysfunction.

This does happen in committee-driven enterprise software design and purchasing
and is I think a genuine problem. Gadget blogs summarising useful information
about products (does it have a CD drive yes/no) isn't a problem unless you've
taken it as some kind of direct insult to your lifestyle choices because you
bought the one that did, or didn't, have that feature.

Removing the checklists is not going to magically stop geeks fighting over
pointless tech choices, they are just a tool that is too often used as a
weapon.

~~~
joshu
I agree.

However, I do think that when there are long lists of comparable features
between very comparable systems (intravendor rather than intervendor, I guess)
I do wish they would do something to typographically offset the things that
are different.

Compare variations of Thinkpads and they are often VERY similar. What are just
the important differences? Etc.

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AlisdairO
Good article. One of my biggest bugbears is seeing people make laptop feature
comparisons that miss off weight, dimensions, and battery life - three things
that are critically important to me.

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martinpannier
I agree. But you seem to forget usability, style, safety (as opposed to
security) and a few of other parameters that are actually key to the overall
experience. Much more so than the inclusion of a digital fingerprint reader,
for example.

~~~
ZeroGravitas
Usability, style and safety do not belong in a checklist because there's no
simple yes/no or appropriate numerical figure, which is why only one of the
example tables in the article is even vaguely realistic. This does not mean
they should not be considered in purchasing decisions, just that they're
complex to evaluate and compare.

Not listing dimensions and weight is ridiculous, or would be if I'd ever seen
a comparison that didn't include these basics.

~~~
martinpannier
I agree with you. I was pointing that out, regarding the title of the article,
"Feature checklist dysfunction". Basically I'm critical of the very system of
"checklists" for products or as a mean of comparing products.

