> never replace a terminal based app, with a GUI based app and expect productivity gains
I can imagine this being true. It seems that almost the whole software industry has failed to grasp the distinction between an appliance and a tool. An appliance you expect almost anyone to be able to use without training. A tool, well you are expected to learn how to use it, and after that, you are much more productive than before. And most software seems to be moving towards appliance.
I like this dichotomy. I'd want to add a third, the product. The product has ego, it needs to look nice, it needs to demo well, it is marketing. This is what the auto industry has become since the model T and it's what software has become since it was a tool. The problem is with software, things like productivity typically take a hit as it moves further from tool to product. More so when the domain is something like EHR or ERP or E anything.
I can imagine this being true. It seems that almost the whole software industry has failed to grasp the distinction between an appliance and a tool. An appliance you expect almost anyone to be able to use without training. A tool, well you are expected to learn how to use it, and after that, you are much more productive than before. And most software seems to be moving towards appliance.