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http://www.xkcd.com/722/
A computer is a giant layer cake of abstractions built upon abstractions
built upon other abstractions.
http://www.xkcd.com/676/
At the bottom, a computer is a vast network of transistors connected by
wires. But when you think about it like that, it's far too huge and
featureless to make sense. But the transistors implement abstractions
called logic gates. And the various configuration of logic gates
implement higher abstractions such as flip-flops or counters. And
together these implement busses, registers and so on. And together those
make up I/O devices, processors and memory.
And that's just the hardware layer...
Trouble is, whenever I talk to people about how computers actually work,
I mention how one electronic circuit connects to another and they go
"oh, is that why if you open two web pages at once it sometimes gives
you an error message?"
I'm talking about layer 6, they're talking about layer 1382. Which is
somewhat higher than layer 6. Obviously.
Then again, short of sitting there giving somebody a 4-hour lecture,
it's difficult to convey just *how complicated* this stuff is.
Especially when Windows and related products try their hardest to
pretend that they're actually really simple...
Then there's the small problem that most people won't sit through even a
4-hour lecture, because they don't actually give a fig. And even if they
did, after 4 hours all they will come away with is a blury picture of a
huge tangle of abstractions made of abstractions built on top of
abtractions that use abtractions to implement abstractions that support
abstractions which eventually make something visible happen. In other
words, the whole damned stack is just so *abstract* that it's difficult
to comprehend.
Sometimes I think having grown up with 8-bit home computers gave me an
advantage. I'm probably just kidding myself...
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Invisible <voi### [at] dev null> wrote:
> "oh, is that why if you open two web pages at once it sometimes gives
> you an error message?"
>
> I'm talking about layer 6, they're talking about layer 1382. Which is
> somewhat higher than layer 6. Obviously.
In some cases, a metaphor can help. Finding a suitable metaphor that fits on
every level is extremely difficult if not impossible. However, (assuming the
person is interested in the subject as well as the conversation) using a
metaphor that illustrates the difference between what you are talking about and
what they are thinking about can help. For example, in that particular case,
you could draw a comparison between you trying to discuss the function of
automotive engine parts while they are asking about being stuck in a traffic
jam. The metaphor doesn't work on every level, but it carries the gist of the
distance between hardware function and user experience.
Of course, tact may be quite important here.
-Reactor
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>> "oh, is that why if you open two web pages at once it sometimes gives
>> you an error message?"
>>
>> I'm talking about layer 6, they're talking about layer 1382. Which is
>> somewhat higher than layer 6. Obviously.
>
>
> In some cases, a metaphor can help. Finding a suitable metaphor that fits on
> every level is extremely difficult if not impossible. However, (assuming the
> person is interested in the subject as well as the conversation) using a
> metaphor that illustrates the difference between what you are talking about and
> what they are thinking about can help. For example, in that particular case,
> you could draw a comparison between you trying to discuss the function of
> automotive engine parts while they are asking about being stuck in a traffic
> jam. The metaphor doesn't work on every level, but it carries the gist of the
> distance between hardware function and user experience.
That's actually not bad, you know...
> Of course, tact may be quite important here.
Well yeah, like you say, it depends on whether they're interested or
not, and so on. And, of course, whether or not you want this person to
like you. If some hot-shot manager asks this, you might actually *want*
them to come away feeling like a moron. >:-] On the other hand, if
you're chatting to friends, they presumably have a sense of humour. ;-)
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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Invisible wrote:
> Trouble is, whenever I talk to people about how computers actually work,
> I mention how one electronic circuit connects to another and they go
> "oh, is that why if you open two web pages at once it sometimes gives
> you an error message?"
>
> I'm talking about layer 6, they're talking about layer 1382. Which is
> somewhat higher than layer 6. Obviously.
Then again, there is that *other* layer cake...
http://xkcd.com/435/
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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Am 25.04.2010 14:13, schrieb Orchid XP v8:
>> I'm talking about layer 6, they're talking about layer 1382. Which is
>> somewhat higher than layer 6. Obviously.
>
> Then again, there is that *other* layer cake...
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
The cake is a lie
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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> Well yeah, like you say, it depends on whether they're interested or
> not, and so on.
You realize they're probably not actually asking you if that's why the web
browser gets stuck. They're simply showing you that they're listening. Which
*probably* means they're still a little bit interested, or they wouldn't be
asking questions to encourage you to continue.
--
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
Linux: Now bringing the quality and usability of
open source desktop apps to your personal electronics.
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