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Comment by Pxtl | Hacker News Reader

On the barber anecdote, I think something that a lot of software solutions miss is how fast and flexible paper is. It's ready for you the instant you need it, and you can draw arbitrary shapes quickly and easily in addition to text.

We're still feeling out getting this convenience into user's hands. Keyboarded platforms suck for drawing/using standing up, tablets suck for typing.

Ultimately, the only thing I could offer this barber is a cloud-synced whiteboard with week-planner drawn in-behind the screen, and the only advantage it would have over paper is cloud syncing.

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Yes, paper is direct. There are no silly abstractions getting in the way of recording a quick piece of info, and surely a barber is mostly dealing with small quick bits of info.

Sometimes I wish nerds would think a little more about what computers shouldn't be used for instead of trying to figure out how they can fix everything with software.

Does the barber need arbitrary shapes in this case?

It looks like his pain point was that he was walking to a computer. Perhaps having a tablet by his phone could fix this problem? It could be as easy as the paper calendar solution, but since it's all being done electronically, you could allow people to schedule appointments online and such.

> Does the barber need arbitrary shapes in this case?

But why is the default assumption that the barber needs software, and we must prove out that he doesn't? The barber just wants to note some info and get on with things.

The barber may not need software, but the barber's customers do. Who wants to waste time on the phone or sending text messages back and forth trying to find a mutually agreed upon time for an appointment?

With that said, given that the barber in question has tried 10 different scheduling packages, it would seem that he is looking for something better than paper. That says to me that something is needed in his business, and that may very well be software, though the platform on which to run that software is probably not a PC with standard peripherals.

Because we are software writers and we are looking for problems to which our skills are a solution. The barber might just need another paper calendar, but then where does that leave me, the software developer? It leaves me still in need of a job.

Then find one, but don't waste everyone's time selling things to people who won't realize value from them. You'll either fail or hurt people in doing so.

Or perhaps even some kind of advanced handwriting recognition, image recording system that would automatically scan the calendar and store the information in a database (probably not practical with current technology)?

Or for that matter why not some kind of automated voice recognition system that extracts the customers schedule date directly from the phone call?

> ..and the only advantage it would have over paper is cloud syncing

You would also get backup (!) and automation. Say for example that you had to cancel all appointments next week, software could do that for you.

Agree with your overall sentiment though, paper has many advantages.

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