resources | nelson, 1995
Nelson, Theodor Holm (1995). Where the Trail Leads [Abstract, Transcript, Video].
Presentation at As We May Think -- A Celebration of Vannevar Bush's 1945 Vision,
An Examination of What Has Been Accomplished, and What Remains to Be Done.
(Nelson, 1995)
Garbage Metaphor [Transcription of Video]
Nelson: What I hate about the Macintosh, after the vile so called clipboard -- the abominable hiddy hole -- is that it is not a computer. It is a paper simulator. So, the so called WYSIWYG is reducing everything to a two dimensional structure, because that is what the users will feel comfortable with. We can't jar them, so we have to use all these so called metaphors to make them feel comfortable. Like the garbage can. The garbage can metaphor! Now, that's a really reassuring metaphor. It means either save this or destroy it. If you put a file into the wastebasket, you destroy it, but if you put a disk into the wastebasket, you are saving it. So, that is what I call a really clear thing. No, I don't believe in metaphors. The point is to have clear virtualities --. i.e. construct logic which makes sense.
© Mary E. Hopper [MEHopper] |
MEHopper@TheWorld.com
[posted 01/01/01 | revised 02/02/02]