Re: [TCLUG:17423] short description of the Internet

[George Swan <g-swan@maroon.tc.umn.edu>]

Carl:

I know what you mean about it not seeming obvious.  That's why I mentioned
that a good, simple metaphor might feel to yourself like you are lying, ie
not telling the full truth about TCP/IP, or that it doesn't include
everything,
or that it just doesn't seem to fit.

Point is, you're trying to find some metaphor that sparks THEIR interest
and understanding--so that they can correctly conceive that the Internet is
NOT just on their computer.  The minute you try to descibe TCP/IP it
becomes totally incomprehensible--I don't even know if I'd use that term.

Actually, the more I learn the less good I become at doing this.
  ...perhaps you should/could go ask one or two of them that 
    are novices but that DO get it what would be a good metaphor :-)

gs

At 09:11 AM 5/9/00 -0700, you wrote:
>>Hmmmm... does "talking on the telephone" as a metaphor work?
>>(When you click on your browser for a page, it makes a really fast phone
>>call to a server computer....  ftp is like leaving or retrieving a voice
mail
>>... telnet is like..... etc.)
>
>        I don't know about that... the similarity doesn't seem very obvious
>to me (then again, I never claimed to like or understand telephones, so I'm
>a bit biased.):)
>
>>BTW, are you going to have any pictures or diagrams?
>        
>hadn't immediately planned on it; probably ASCII art at best.
>
>Carl Soderstrom
>System Administrator    307 Brighton Ave. 
>Minnesota DHIA	        Buffalo, MN	
>carls@agritech.com      (763) 682-1091
>
>
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George Swan
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