Screen vs Page vs Card

[Dar Scott]

On Sunday, March 28, 2004, at 08:25 PM, Judy Perry wrote:

> You all are thinking in terms of people who already know something 
> about
> programming.
>
> I'm thinking about those who don't.

Those who don't know something about programming cling to metaphors 
they understand.  Those who do know insist that their metaphors apply 
and should be obvious.

An oscilloscope has a panel.  If I mentioned the "panel" of an 
oscilloscope to a technician an image applies.  If I mention a "map" to 
a certain class of security system operator, an image applies.  It is 
the domain of the topic that drives the images and it has nothing to do 
with whether they have any knowledge of programming.

How does card apply?  Who today knows what a 5X3 card is?  Is it really 
less ordered than a book?  I remember seeing a cartoon showing police 
investigating the death of a man stabbed with a rod from a library card 
catalog.  The officer said to the librarian, "Tell us again about what 
happened after he dropped the drawer of cards."  In the minds of those 
who know what an index card is, cards are ordered.

I remember in the old days when "it should be obvious" what a file is.  
Instead people had images of people standing in line, of file cabinets, 
of a tool metaphor, of a folder.

What was the first question people asked when introduced to Hypercard?  
"Do you mean card as in a module that is plugged in, that is, like a 
board that is plugged into a computer?"

I read novels front to back, but I rarely read technical books that 
way.  I don't think they any less are composed of pages.

Never the less, I am impressed with your mind reading ability.

Dar Scott