Computing minimalism

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This article is about computing. For other uses, see Minimalism (disambiguation).

Computing minimalism refers to a preference for computer systems that are small and spartan, rather than complex and rich in features.

Contents

[edit] Domains of application

[edit] Interface

One reason (and probably the most important nowadays) to seek software minimalism is to increase the performance of the user. This kind of minimalism is illustrated by the user removing desktop icons, window decorations, toolbars or by the user preferring software with minimal feature bloat. Even if some find it easier to have everything on the desktop (one click away), many find that using the keyboard (keyboard shortcuts or simply a terminal emulator, instead of a mouse) is a lot faster. Also, removing toolbars and other window decorations allows the user to use more of his screen space for content. Removing functionality (such as daemons that check email) may also increase the user's productivity by preventing interruptions and freeing up the CPU and RAM for more important tasks.

[edit] Resources

Some software comes with unnecessary features and use a large amount of resources (memory, CPU, etc). Minimalists try to replace these with lighter alternatives to improve performances (and start time in some cases). This goal tends to become less important as computing power increases, but more important as computer programs (especially operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows) get more complicated or bloated and require more resources. It is also useful if one wishes to use an older, less powerful computer instead of upgrading in order to support a more resource-intensive environment.

[edit] Programming Languages

In programming language design, it is considered good practice to attempt to express language features in function of already existing language features, which relates directly to minimalism. For instance, in the Scheme programming language, control structures like a while loop need not be defined at the language level, as they can be implemented using hygienic macros, thus making the language specification smaller (which is minimalist) and reusing existing features.

[edit] Philosophy

Some users simply don't like the idea of getting features they don't use in their software. They may alter or remove parts of the software in order to conserve space, improve performance, or suit their personal preferences. This approach may result in unpredictable behavior if the altered sections are critical to the operation of the software.

[edit] Hardware

[edit] Cases

The Mac mini is considered to be minimalist since it is compact and does not show its ports directly, thus greatly reducing unnecessary human exploring (of its surface).

Mac mini case. Considered minimalist

Typical generic(/gamer) case. Considered not minimalist

[edit] Operating System

[edit] Shells

Some Windows users believe that Windows Explorer can be a "Resource hog" and/or is bloated due to the amount of memory it takes (usually 10 megabytes) and its excessive features. Computer minimalists may replace this with a shell that is both lighter in resource use and the objects that it contains. Litestep is an example of a "lite" shell for the Windows operating system.

This not only affects the Windows operating system, but others such as Unix-like operating systems. KDE and GNOME (popular desktop managers) are widely regarded as using more resources than a light shell such as Fluxbox or IceWM.

Screenshot of Windows. This is an example of a non-minimalist system. It has desktop icons and modest-sized navigational and title bars, as well as a sidebar. Minimalists like to keep much of the screen space for contents and may remove the sidebar, resize the titlebar or switch to a new theme.
Enlarge
Screenshot of Windows. This is an example of a non-minimalist system. It has desktop icons and modest-sized navigational and title bars, as well as a sidebar. Minimalists like to keep much of the screen space for contents and may remove the sidebar, resize the titlebar or switch to a new theme.
Screenshot of Fluxbox under the Linux operating system. This is considered lighter than its Windows counterpart since it lacks any desktop icons and the size of its navigational bar is smaller. It is also much lighter "under the hood" - on a technical note.
Enlarge
Screenshot of Fluxbox under the Linux operating system. This is considered lighter than its Windows counterpart since it lacks any desktop icons and the size of its navigational bar is smaller. It is also much lighter "under the hood" - on a technical note.
Screenshot of ratpoison under Linux; this is even more minimalistic, as it uses primarily command line or keyboard-driven applications.
Enlarge
Screenshot of ratpoison under Linux; this is even more minimalistic, as it uses primarily command line or keyboard-driven applications.

[edit] Desktop

To keep a desktop uncluttered, a minimalist may remove desktop icons (or keep only as many as needed); all other operations are done by using the operational menu (Start Menu in Windows or Right-click with Fluxbox) or keyboard shortcuts. The result is that only the wallpaper (or a blank background) is left.

[edit] Applications

[edit] Web browsers

Most web browsers use GUIs with features such as tabbed web browsing. Minimalists may consider this to be a resource hog. Furthermore, it is not considered "advanced" (or "leet") in their respective social community. They may use a text based web browser such as ELinks or Lynx since they do not use much memory and are not cluttered with menus; most operations are done with the keyboard. That said, even in this situation there are varying degrees of minimalism: ELinks is larger and more feature-rich than Lynx.

[edit] Paradox situations

  • In some cases, one must make a tradeoff between minimalistic hardware requirements and minimalistic software requirements. For example, an external modem may use fewer resources than an internal modem since the latter relies on the CPU of a computer rather than its own built in chip. Some may not appreciate an extra hardware component on their workstation and use an internal modem instead.
  • Using a light shell may lack a notification area and may need a person to manually check a process manager every now and again to know which process is being run. One needs to balance between ease of use and minimalism.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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