How People Are Like Computers
On the surface it’s all in the Styling
(first impressions… and also maybe all we ever see)
- some of us are mostly just simple html
- a few either can’t manage a WYSIWYG editor or simply couldn’t be bothered
- some of us can’t resist flash pages and more
- adjectives such as elegant or cool mean that our code is so good that you don’t even notice it (and it probably validates too)
- most of us only render properly in one browser
Start interacting with the User Interface
(from trying to get a date to learning whether you should have)
- none of us come with instructions, but some offer lots of verbiage while others remain silent
- if you’ve met others sort of like this one you can probably guess where the buttons are and which ones to push
- we won’t do anything for you until you take the trouble to figure us out
- we try to signal whether we want something from you or prefer that you didn’t exist
- figure us out and maybe we can make beautiful music together
Share activities and get to see Scripts
(hopefully you’ve only gotten engaged and not married yet)
- find out which scripts we like most
- some of us don’t have many so you won’t have to wait long for repetition
- some of us are not into developing this level, and tend to run as few scripts as possible, stalling often to consider anything from security precautions to the costs of increased functionality
- anyone who is mad about RSS might be a salesperson
- can we consider a Freudian interpretation for an obsession with plugins?
Interact with the Language and Database
(sometimes you don’t get to see this until you’re already committed)
- we can be practical and staid
- or strictly limited and that’s that!
- some of us are dynamic and others are just pretending to be
- semantic types can be slow or with a tendency to get stuck, but when they’re good at it you’ve got a winner
- don’t confuse agile and fast with narrow or shallow
Get up close and personal to see the Operating System
(discover morals and values, and bank balances too)
- some are old fashioned and rather clunky but very reliable
- others are easy to use and beautiful but ultimately limited
- DIY grass roots type can be unpredictable but are usually true blue loyal
- DIY eclectic types come in the most flavors
- some of us ‘make it up as we go’ which can make for a pretty bumpy ride with lots of crashes
Find the OS Kernel inside
(knowing anyone at this level, including ourselves, is better than winning a lottery)
- there’s the legacy version …generations of inherited layers of rules (occasionally explodes or implodes in fatal error due to conflicts)
- some are purists …investing much discipline in adhering to core guiding principles
- some of us are put together like a Rubicks cube
- then there’s the master chef devoting a lifetime to creating the ultimate banquet with eight ingredients
- the deconstructionists know that there’s no such thing as WYSIWYG at this level
Isn’t it awesome that both computers and people actually work on all these levels at once?
