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Some years ago, a relative of my wife bought a new PC and gave her old one to the doorman in her building. She then asked my brother-in-law to "put the data bac

by hernan7 16y ago

Some years ago, a relative of my wife bought a new PC and gave her old one to the doorman in her building. She then asked my brother-in-law to "put the data back" in the new machine. She apparently hadn't realized that "the data" was now at the doorman's, inside her old machine. I think my brother-in-law was able to get a hold of the old machine before it got re-installed.

gaius 16y ago
Wow. That's like buying a new suitcase when you arrive at the hotel, and wondering why your clothes aren't in it. Packing? Don't confuse me with your jargon!
- DanielStraight 16y ago
  That makes me wonder if we should use that exact metaphor to explain computers/software. Your computer is a suitcase. Everything you do packs your suitcase. If you want to get a new suitcase, you have to unpack the old one and pack the stuff into the new one. Not really sure what software would be though.
  - gaius 16y ago
    My (non-technical) users don't understand version control at all. Which is weird as it was them who insisted on installing Sharepoint. But every folder has file_v1, file_v2, _v3, _v4 and so on.
  - wglb 16y ago
    That is why I am against using analogies (water through pipes to understand electricity). All analogies are false. The only question is when it is going to mislead, not if.
    - DanielStraight 16y ago
      Files and folders are an analogy. Files aren't really in a folder, they're just associated through clever indexing. Is there any reason we should stop using that analogy? Analogies are useful when they allow you to not think about something low-level so you can work on something high-level. If I had to think about electrons every time I sat down to write code, I'd never get anything done. If I had to learn it before I started learning to write code, I'd still be in school.
      - wglb 16y ago
        I am not so sure that this is an analogy. These are different names for new things. Except for 'folder' as opposed to 'directory'. You sort of lost me there with the electrons thing. Are perhaps you really meaning the abstractions that enable you to not have to think about electrons while writing code.

by hernan7 16y ago

gaius 16y ago

Wow. That's like buying a new suitcase when you arrive at the hotel, and wondering why your clothes aren't in it. Packing? Don't confuse me with your jargon!

DanielStraight 16y ago
That makes me wonder if we should use that exact metaphor to explain computers/software. Your computer is a suitcase. Everything you do packs your suitcase. If you want to get a new suitcase, you have to unpack the old one and pack the stuff into the new one. Not really sure what software would be though.
- gaius 16y ago
  My (non-technical) users don't understand version control at all. Which is weird as it was them who insisted on installing Sharepoint. But every folder has file_v1, file_v2, _v3, _v4 and so on.
- wglb 16y ago
  That is why I am against using analogies (water through pipes to understand electricity). All analogies are false. The only question is when it is going to mislead, not if.
  - DanielStraight 16y ago
    Files and folders are an analogy. Files aren't really in a folder, they're just associated through clever indexing. Is there any reason we should stop using that analogy? Analogies are useful when they allow you to not think about something low-level so you can work on something high-level. If I had to think about electrons every time I sat down to write code, I'd never get anything done. If I had to learn it before I started learning to write code, I'd still be in school.
    - wglb 16y ago
      I am not so sure that this is an analogy. These are different names for new things. Except for 'folder' as opposed to 'directory'. You sort of lost me there with the electrons thing. Are perhaps you really meaning the abstractions that enable you to not have to think about electrons while writing code.