Periodically, as I move about the message boards, newsgroups and chat rooms, I run across comments which, in essence, refer to something which seemingly makes life easier as part of the "Dumbing down of America."

There are probably a lot of examples of this; we all have our opinions about such things. But, too often I hear it applied to types of computers or various applications that simplify more complex tasks, taking away the need for greater user input.

The example I most often hear is the blinking display on the VCR. Does anyone really believe all those VCR owners are too dumb to set the clock? Absolutely not. The problem is not the complexity, nor is it the intelligence of the user, it's the inconvenience. The VCR is a device meant to make life simpler. If something you wish to watch is on at an inconvenient time, the VCR allows you to record it for later viewing. Why then, did manufacturers require so many steps for a task as simple as setting the clock?

I make this point because that is the "problem" with computers and many applications. We can all sit back and smugly chuckle at AOL users and the hand holding environment in which they exist and as we do so, Steve Case, Chairman and founder of AOL, is laughing all the way to the bank. He didn't make a fortune banking on "dumb." He made a fortune because he recognized what others missed, the computer is an instrument, a tool, it's meant to provide the user with convenience.

Making the computer easier to use and simplifying applications is part of what drives and has driven our entire economy for most of our 224 year existence, convenience. When we moved from smoke signals and waving flags at the tops of hills to the telegraph, was that part of the "Dumbing down of America?" When we moved from the telegraph to the telephone, was that part of the "Dumbing down of America?"

Of course not. Unfortunately, what computer makers have missed and many who create applications as well is the fundamental fact that this most exquisite device, the computer, must lessen the steps it takes to perform a task in order for it to truly enhance productivity and the user experience.

This is not an argument to convince you to sign up for AOL or even that AOL is better. It's simply a reminder that the vast majority of people using a computer to access the Internet desire a convenient experience. For them, the computer is not a challenging plaything meant to show them the joys of constantly tweaking and "futzing" to paraphrase Larry Ellison, Chairman and Founder of Oracle. For them, the computer is simply a tool.

Many of us who live inside our computers on a daily basis overlook that fact. That being, a computer is more than a sports car for the backyard mechanic who spends endless hours tuning his machine for maximum speed. It's meant to do something for the user. For each of us, what it is designed to do may be different because of the variety of things for which it can be used but the top priority is still convenience. It is only as good too us as what it can do for us.

The reason I make this statement is I think it has been overlooked by computer makers as well. They fail to see the computer as a convenience device. Business seems to have grasped the idea that computers can enhance productivity. However, computer makers have overlooked the home market and the convenience it might add to the home environment. This is not just a problem on the hardware side, it's a problem with software developers as well.

A few years ago when the computer industry was poised to turn the computer into a mass market item for consumers, I warned industry executives, if they didn't come to grips with this aspect of convenience, eventually, foreign competitors would start eating into their market share much as happened in the auto industry.

All right, low end machines have kept that type of competition at bay, thus far anyway. But, it is interesting that the single most innovative company making computers today is not one of the well known U.S. makers, it's Sony. Sony saw the potential of connecting a video camera to a PC even before Apple made that connection.

Sony was also first out with sleek innovative designs and their systems do the best job of integrating graphics and sound. Their systems are more expensive then most but they've staked their claim to innovation and quality. Their systems are way too proprietary for the "backyard mechanic" user but Sony saw and sees what has yet to be learned by U.S. makers, it must have a use. If consumers don't see the use, find it and educate them to it.

Then, make it simple, make it intuitive. Not because people are too dumb for a more complex set of steps but because it is more convenient and will make their lives easier. That's not part of the "Dumbing down of America," it's common sense.