"Oh I read it on the Internet" she says.  No you didn't.  You read it on blahblahblah.com.

"I'll shop the Internet and see what prices they have".  arggggg

It seems like the Internet has stripped our identities and shuffled us all into a big bucket of unrecognizable bits.

I often wonder if the browser is the root cause.

Feel free to weigh in on your experiences with "the Internet" as a place.

blowdart said:

It's a collection of tubes.

"Series of tubes" actually

Although going by what turns up on the Internet, I'm more inclined to believe the Big-truck analogy instead.

My own personal pet-peeve is when people fail to capitalise the "I" in Internet. When you're refering to the Internet, then you capitalise it, which is pretty much every occurence in the newspapers and the like, despite that they continue to use the lesser 'i'.

W3bbo said:

blowdart said:

*snip*

"Series of tubes" actually

 

Although going by what turns up on the Internet, I'm more inclined to believe the Big-truck analogy instead.

 

My own personal pet-peeve is when people fail to capitalise the "I" in Internet. When you're refering to the Internet, then you capitalise it, which is pretty much every occurence in the newspapers and the like, despite that they continue to use the lesser 'i'.

I never understood what was the big deal about that line.  It's just a metaphor, why chastise the guy?  I'd probably say something similar if I was talking to a bunch of lawyers.

Similarly saying something is on the Internet just means it's reachable via the Internet. No big deal, it's just a figure of speech.

spivonious said:

It's a network. You don't buy things from the Internet, you buy them on the Internet.

You can also make purchases over the internet, now is that physical or virtual and does it matter?

The person that is spamming before your post spammed "honest readers" on the internet or was that over the internet?

There really is no hope of ever explaining the difference between 'the web' and 'the internet' to most people, even those that otherwise seem reasonably clever have some fundamental misconceptions.

Just a random example:

"I have used Internet Explorer since the Internet first came out. I even remember the time when no-one had even heard of Internet Explorer (i.e. before the Internet was even available on PCs). The first version of IE that was released on standard PCs was IE 3.0 I believe (previous versions would only have been used in corporations); and I have used every version since then."

CreamFilling512 said:

W3bbo said:

*snip*

I never understood what was the big deal about that line.  It's just a metaphor, why chastise the guy?  I'd probably say something similar if I was talking to a bunch of lawyers.

I'll bet a year's pay that a few techies actually explained the Internet to Senator Stevens using that exact tube analogy.

Herbie

eddwo said:

At least its not as bad as the people that ask "Did you remember to close down the internet?" when they mean closing IE.

There really is no hope of ever explaining the difference between 'the web' and 'the internet' to most people, even those that otherwise seem reasonably clever have some fundamental misconceptions.

 

Just a random example:

"I have used Internet Explorer since the Internet first came out. I even remember the time when no-one had even heard of Internet Explorer (i.e. before the Internet was even available on PCs). The first version of IE that was released on standard PCs was IE 3.0 I believe (previous versions would only have been used in corporations); and I have used every version since then."

people equate the www as the internet.... yet it is just one of the many many services available

-Josh

CreamFilling512 seems to think it has become both a place and network.  I tend to partially agree.  It is in the process of becoming a "place".  If the sense of "place" continues to increase then the sense of identity (brands, names, etc.) will decrease at a nonlinear rate.

The natural diversification of many places gives way to one super place.  In a world of one super place is chaos.  A small disruption in the "Internet" has large ripple effects.

Sven seems to think "on the Internet" is similar to living "on street xyz".  And to some degree maybe.  Most people say they live "at" address yadda or they live "along" street yadda.  However, in big cities the "on" street is more common.  Maybe it is the sense of being 400 stories in the air looking down "on" street yadda that lends to this.  I'm not sure.  But it leads to similar reduction of identity.  No longer does a person live in {insert favorite townhouse building here}.  They live on a non-specific point - the street.  Would the owners of each townhouse in the building be inclined to make their building the best to in turn continue to attract good neighbors if all references to the building were "on street xyz".  The equivalent street analogy to the "Internet" would be one massive single "Street".

Take big time retailers like Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Metro AG, and Tesco (http://retailindustry.about.com/od/famousretailers/a/retailercountry.htm), some of which I have never heard of.  If everyone who purchases something from walmart.com says they purchased it on the Internet then walmart won't be getting any new business from me.  However, if they say it was purchased on walmart.com then walmart might see a new purchaser.

How about a non-business walmart example.  Three people put in volunteer time to create an information portal that gives other members of the community help with basic clothing supplies.  If the people being helped referred to the help as coming from the "Internet" then that certainly won't help those 3 help more people.

Josh states a good example, the Weather Channel.  If 90% of the time folks referred to it generically would the Weather Channel have been rewarded for their work?  It is entirely likely that they could have died on the vine.

To some degree the human brain generalizes on purpose.  It has to or we would be overwhelmed.  The use of "the Internet" is overly generalized.  I wonder if the browser is the root cause of this generalization.  It seems to me that to many try to use the browser for more than it should be.  The browser is the "car".  It gets you from where you are to where you want to be ... and it should stop there.  You don't drive your "car" around Wal-Mart.  Why drive around Wal-Mart in a browser?  Silverlight and things of that nature are exciting as they give the operator (business or otherwise) the chance to build something, easily usable, that the user can traverse in other than the "car" of a browser.

davewill said:

I can't give up the Mt. Dew MinH.

 

CreamFilling512 seems to think it has become both a place and network.  I tend to partially agree.  It is in the process of becoming a "place".  If the sense of "place" continues to increase then the sense of identity (brands, names, etc.) will decrease at a nonlinear rate.

 

The natural diversification of many places gives way to one super place.  In a world of one super place is chaos.  A small disruption in the "Internet" has large ripple effects.

 

Sven seems to think "on the Internet" is similar to living "on street xyz".  And to some degree maybe.  Most people say they live "at" address yadda or they live "along" street yadda.  However, in big cities the "on" street is more common.  Maybe it is the sense of being 400 stories in the air looking down "on" street yadda that lends to this.  I'm not sure.  But it leads to similar reduction of identity.  No longer does a person live in {insert favorite townhouse building here}.  They live on a non-specific point - the street.  Would the owners of each townhouse in the building be inclined to make their building the best to in turn continue to attract good neighbors if all references to the building were "on street xyz".  The equivalent street analogy to the "Internet" would be one massive single "Street".

 

Take big time retailers like Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Metro AG, and Tesco (http://retailindustry.about.com/od/famousretailers/a/retailercountry.htm), some of which I have never heard of.  If everyone who purchases something from walmart.com says they purchased it on the Internet then walmart won't be getting any new business from me.  However, if they say it was purchased on walmart.com then walmart might see a new purchaser.

 

How about a non-business walmart example.  Three people put in volunteer time to create an information portal that gives other members of the community help with basic clothing supplies.  If the people being helped referred to the help as coming from the "Internet" then that certainly won't help those 3 help more people.

 

Josh states a good example, the Weather Channel.  If 90% of the time folks referred to it generically would the Weather Channel have been rewarded for their work?  It is entirely likely that they could have died on the vine.

 

To some degree the human brain generalizes on purpose.  It has to or we would be overwhelmed.  The use of "the Internet" is overly generalized.  I wonder if the browser is the root cause of this generalization.  It seems to me that to many try to use the browser for more than it should be.  The browser is the "car".  It gets you from where you are to where you want to be ... and it should stop there.  You don't drive your "car" around Wal-Mart.  Why drive around Wal-Mart in a browser?  Silverlight and things of that nature are exciting as they give the operator (business or otherwise) the chance to build something, easily usable, that the user can traverse in other than the "car" of a browser.

When people say they heard something on the radio, don't they know that radio are types of waves! Instead, they should refer to the radio frequency at which they heard it from!

brian.shapiro said:

davewill said:

*snip*

When people say they heard something on the radio, don't they know that radio are types of waves! Instead, they should refer to the radio frequency at which they heard it from!

The other interesting part is that we all refer to it as "the internet" when in fact at conception, it was simply known as "internet".

However I think just calling it "internet" would sound too sinister, reminiscent of Skynet...

jh71283 said:

brian.shapiro said:

*snip*

The other interesting part is that we all refer to it as "the internet" when in fact at conception, it was simply known as "internet".

 

However I think just calling it "internet" would sound too sinister, reminiscent of Skynet...

They still speak like that in Yorkshire

vesuvius said:

jh71283 said:

*snip*

They still speak like that in Yorkshire

't i'nt on t' internet!

Herbie

jh71283 said:

brian.shapiro said:

*snip*

The other interesting part is that we all refer to it as "the internet" when in fact at conception, it was simply known as "internet".

 

However I think just calling it "internet" would sound too sinister, reminiscent of Skynet...

I could set up two networks, and set up routing between them (possibly using IP). That would be an internet.

But the big global internet that everyone uses, that's the Internet. It comes prefixed with "the" and is written with a capital.

That's the distinction I make, anyway.

davewill said:

I can't give up the Mt. Dew MinH.

 

CreamFilling512 seems to think it has become both a place and network.  I tend to partially agree.  It is in the process of becoming a "place".  If the sense of "place" continues to increase then the sense of identity (brands, names, etc.) will decrease at a nonlinear rate.

 

The natural diversification of many places gives way to one super place.  In a world of one super place is chaos.  A small disruption in the "Internet" has large ripple effects.

 

Sven seems to think "on the Internet" is similar to living "on street xyz".  And to some degree maybe.  Most people say they live "at" address yadda or they live "along" street yadda.  However, in big cities the "on" street is more common.  Maybe it is the sense of being 400 stories in the air looking down "on" street yadda that lends to this.  I'm not sure.  But it leads to similar reduction of identity.  No longer does a person live in {insert favorite townhouse building here}.  They live on a non-specific point - the street.  Would the owners of each townhouse in the building be inclined to make their building the best to in turn continue to attract good neighbors if all references to the building were "on street xyz".  The equivalent street analogy to the "Internet" would be one massive single "Street".

 

Take big time retailers like Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Metro AG, and Tesco (http://retailindustry.about.com/od/famousretailers/a/retailercountry.htm), some of which I have never heard of.  If everyone who purchases something from walmart.com says they purchased it on the Internet then walmart won't be getting any new business from me.  However, if they say it was purchased on walmart.com then walmart might see a new purchaser.

 

How about a non-business walmart example.  Three people put in volunteer time to create an information portal that gives other members of the community help with basic clothing supplies.  If the people being helped referred to the help as coming from the "Internet" then that certainly won't help those 3 help more people.

 

Josh states a good example, the Weather Channel.  If 90% of the time folks referred to it generically would the Weather Channel have been rewarded for their work?  It is entirely likely that they could have died on the vine.

 

To some degree the human brain generalizes on purpose.  It has to or we would be overwhelmed.  The use of "the Internet" is overly generalized.  I wonder if the browser is the root cause of this generalization.  It seems to me that to many try to use the browser for more than it should be.  The browser is the "car".  It gets you from where you are to where you want to be ... and it should stop there.  You don't drive your "car" around Wal-Mart.  Why drive around Wal-Mart in a browser?  Silverlight and things of that nature are exciting as they give the operator (business or otherwise) the chance to build something, easily usable, that the user can traverse in other than the "car" of a browser.

RE: "Most people say they live "at" address yadda or they live "along" street yadda.  However, in big cities the "on" street is more common".

I think this is perhaps more cultural and varies depending on where you are at in the world. I've never heard anybody say that living "along" Foo Street. I've always heard "I live on Foo Street".

As Brian points out, perhaps you should be just as upset as people saying "I heard it on the radio" . I keed, I keed .

I like jh71283's comment on just "internet" versus "the Internet." In fact, I'm just going to start saying "Internet" from now on. "Hey Jason: where'd you find that shirt?" "Oh, I just bought it yesterday on InterNet". LOL, much more sinister indeed. MWUHAHAHA.