From: Rob Harris Cen-IT (Rob.Harris@bournemouth.gov.uk)
Date: Mon Jul 05 1999 - 10:05:03 MDT
>Frankly I've never understood what's so transhuman about making
minimal use of webpage->enhancing technologies.
Because, in the last year (so it seems) they've become permeated by
people with the usual cretinous method of achieving a sense of elitism -
just like the lifelong store clerks that constantly moan on about how stupid
people are. "Academic" style things, for instance, have to be presented in a
manner as displeasing to the eye as is possible. Firstly, a nice small font
to make you squint, then a collection of horrendous annotations, and most
importantly, the most esoteric vocabulary that can be dredged up. This makes
all concerned - author, readers etc.. very pleased with themselves that they
are privvy to such intellectual material. It also makes it totally
unpalatable to the average person, cutting accessibility, and so preserving
the elite.
Another example is the computer dweeb that swears blind that he
hates GUIs, and much prefers CLI. This is as transparent as hell. Comp
dweebs that are particularly sad love to feel superior through their
computer knowledge. With a CLI, any operation means having to know the
relevant command, acceptable parameters and so on. This takes a lot of time
- which is the edge that dweebs with no lives have over ordinary people. So
they learn all the ins and outs of these CLI languages like UNIX, rattling
out 5 line commands full of grep's and squiqqly things, feeling all
intelligent, as the layman onlooker is (supposed to be) impressed. Now here
comes the new user-friendly GUI ! Watch the geeks' faces drop as their 5
line wonders become meaningless, with an equivalent function available at a
mouse click. They hate this new universal accessibility, and try to promote
the old system - by "hating" GUIs and constantly professing the wonders of
CLI.
My basic point is this - the only, and I mean ONLY reason that
anyone would want to make something look/feel extra drab or laborious is to
cut it's accessibility, probably to preserve their sense of elitism. Some
may not even realise this much. They may merely have previously associated
drab, inaccessible crap with the kind of ostentatious intellectual status
they are trying to attain....."oh, that's much too colourful and
vulgar....".
The academics will soon feel the pain of the computer geek, as
people such as myself point out that allowing certain people an
information/power monopoly merely so that those involved can feel like the
big monkeys in the jungle, is totally unacceptable. Out with the old, in
with the new, power to the people right on, blah, blah.........
Rob. Ranting for you....everyday *bing bong*.
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