Meaning of the phrase “for the rest of us”

Question

What does the phrase "for the rest of us" mean? I am coming across this one a lot recently. I googled to find its meaning, but with no luck.

For example, from Startups for the Rest of Us

Welcome to Startups for the Rest of Us, the podcast that helps developers be awesome at launching software products. Whether you’ve built your first product or are just thinking about it.

Also "The iPad Review For The Rest of Us" and "Functional Programming For The Rest of Us"

Answer 1

For the rest of us in the context of the above web pages you have linked to indicates that the author has found other resources that explain what they are explaining, but thinks that they are too technical and so are difficult to understand.

You could replace for the rest of us with the idioms

• in layman's terms
• for the common man
• for the average joe

This would indicate that the content of the articles was aimed at people who do not (at the moment) have a deep understanding of the subject at hand, and so won't be familiar with the technical jargon associated with it. The article may in fact introduce some of the more technical terms and thus be a gateway for the reader to less accessible, but perhaps more informative, articles.

Answer 2

Since nearly all of the links provided have to do with computer technology, or programming and stuff. Well, I found this:

"For the rest of us":
(From the macintosh slogan "The computer for the rest of us") 1. Used to describe a spiffy product whose affordability shames other comparable products, or (more often) used sarcastically to describe spiffy but very overpriced products.

That perhaps, would explain your most of those links that you gave.

However, it could be seen in another way:

. Describes a program with a limited interface, deliberately limited capabilities, non-orthogonality, inability to compose primitives, or any other limitation designed to not "confuse" a naïve user. This places an upper bound on how far that user can go before the program begins to get in the way of the task instead of helping accomplish it.

Thus, "for the rest of us" could also mean that something's been made so that it is easily usable for the rest of the people who aren't up in the skies in programming or knowledge (like me.)

Answer 3

"For the rest of us" basically means something has been designed for common use. The technology or item is made to be easy to use, and cheap for the general population. The idea is that for a time "the rest of us" have been unable to use, understand, or purchase the item being presented either due to lack of knowledge about it, overcomplexity, or high cost. But now "the rest of us" or everyone, not only the very few rich and educated, can buy, understand, and use it.