About TaraEllaCS / Download TaraEllaCS

The TaraElla Computer System (TECS) is a system demonstrating a possible way to use the computer in accordance with the TaraElla Computer Lifestyle principles.

"There are three versions of the ideal computer: as a user-friendly consumer electronics device, as a semi-human personal assistant, and as a portal to a big virtual world.

The first approach is the one that I believe the major software companies are taking. Both MS and Apple are trying to make their software as user-friendly as a mobile phone. But clearly, they seem to be working on the idea that a computer is a tool to be used, the easier the better, and that's all to it. This makes the computer easy to use for novices, but then it becomes as boring as any consumer electronic device when no more useful features can be added.

The second approach is to make the computer emulate a human being. Microsoft, in the 1990s, had many attempts at this, most famously in the MS Bob project which produced characters such as Clippy (btw I actually find Clippy quite cute and do miss seeing him since Office 2003). Even as late as 1997 they still wanted computer desktops with characters like Clippy and ability to recognise plain English commands. Apparently they seemed to have given up, however. (Plain English commands are a good idea, but hard to do, I guess).

The final approach is the one that I take. There is a whole big virtual world out there, and the computer is the place to start exploring. Therefore, rather than just making it easy to use (which we should still do), we should make it easy to use to explore the virtual world and build your stuff inside it."

TECS comes as-is, and by downloading it you accept that we cannot guarantee that it will work with your system or that it will not cause damage to your computer. The easiest way to use TECS is by obtaining and installing VMWare Player, and then selecting the Virtual option on the TECS download page. Once the file has been downloaded, it can be extracted with 7-zip. You will probably need to extract the file twice before you will see a folder. Inside the folder there is a VMWare Virtual Machine file, and opening it will cause TECS to run.

You can download TECS here.