Rolls-Royce Merlin Supermarine Engine
I recently watched a documentary on TV about the training of Spitfire pilots for the Battle of Britain. 18 - 19 - 20 years old and 8 or 9 hours training in a Spitfire. In one interview with a veteran, he said it was like being handed your first drivers licence and then getting in a Formula One racing car and told if you lost the race - you die. (Or crash & burn trying.)
But the most interesting comment was made by one chap who said after the battle he spoke to some captured German pilots and said to them: "Do you know why you lost?" "It was because you need to be highly trained and very skilled to fly a ME 109, but any i.d.i.o.t can fly a Spitfire.."
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[/CENTER]And that's the secret isn't it! The KISS principle. Keep it simple stupid. Worth remembering when designing GUI's and the like.
Google, IE 3, Irfanview, Apple iPod, even Ulead PhotoImpact, etc. Simply to use, beautiful to look at, and stunning in performance.
If you have to RTFM, you're too complicated!
I always used to think of it as the Heavy Brigade verses The Light Brigade.
Netscape became the Heavy Brigade, as did IE 6. Firefox, so far, is The Light Brigade. As IE 7 B1 has become.
KISS The Light Brigade...