Why the "web"? And why "spiders"?
- Category: Internet/Computers/Software
- Posted On: 9/8/2005
- Views: 3,122
So, I joined a host, creating a new and, as of yet, undiscovered "strand" with all sorts of wonderful "meals" in it. Hopefully one or more spiders will come along, gobble up my meals, and possibly link the "strand" into its own "web". If not, I will have to attempt to personally feed each spider my meals and hope they then link my strand. Once linked, I plan to create even better meals for the spider and hope that I can convince the spider that my linked strand should be moved to a more prominent spot in their own web, so that outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy my spectacular strand! I also hope that other "chefs" like myself will find my strand interesting and create meals that incorporate my delicious recipes, linking their strands to mine without the spider's involvement! Or, if the spider finds a recipe someone has created using my original recipies, the spider will remember my savory meal and give me the credit I deserve. Then, when an outdoor enthusiast is searching for the best meal in every spider's web, they will see that I am the best spider meal chef they've been looking for!
Since I'm heavily involved with internet technologies all of the time, I often get frustrated with tiny things ordinary people using the internet would never think about...
The problem on my mind is that someone coined "web" as the catchphrase for the internet. That's fine, but that's where it should have ended! Although I think "web" is a TERRIBLE name for it... Automated programs that make requests to web pages and "read" the content for bits and pieces of interesting info were then called "spiders". This is my main issue... The concept of a spider "crawling" the web is kinda fun and all, but it has nothing to do with the technology.
Pros of the "web" and "spider" Metaphores
- A "spider" DOES "crawl" their web, in fact they crawl on lots of things
- A "web" has linkages that hold it all together. So, if were to expound on the metaphore (as so many people have wrongly done in the past and present) I guess a website without any links to it or out of it would be called a "strand"?
- Like it's real-life ancestor, the "web spider crawls" web pages looking for interesting info and "gobbles" it up... like a spider and a fly.
Cons of the "web" and "spider" Metaphores
- A "web" is CREATED by a "spider", not by another creature entirely. So, when all a "web spider" does is crawl web pages looking for info, the metaphore doesn't apply at all. Just because someone named the internet the "web", doesn't mean you should run with it and make up names on top of names... kinda like recursive acronyms.
- Category: Internet/Computers/Software
- Posted On: 9/8/2005
- Views: 3,122