Web technology as ceiling to expression (Re: mice and men-1)

Edouard Lagache (elagache who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu)
Wed, 9 Dec 98 10:44:19 -0800

Hi Jay (and everyone!)

Long time - no tilt! :-) There are three themes in Jay's message.
Since, reading time is precious, I'll break the topics into three
messages. People can chomp on the one that interests them the most.

>I enjoyed Edourard's tirade on web imperialism, and he's probably mostly on
>the mark, but thanks to the great diversity of the web, there is a lot out
>there that doesn't fit at least some hegemonic imperatives.

I think that this is unfortunately a little optimistic. The arguments
roughly parallel the cases made against television as neutral. The web
is anything but an open medium. On the contrary, what makes exciting web
sites exciting is using the limited expressive power of web languages
right up to and beyond what they are capable to doing. This technical
limitation enforces a certain uniformity on what appears on the web.

One contribution that I can make to this group is to convey some sense of
the complexity involved in creating web based applications. The
expressive power only comes for a command of a very complex array of
previously unrelated computing technologies. The modern web site
requires a team with at least four groups: Graphics arts and web
publishing, Client-Side Programming, Server-Side Programming, and
Database Administration. Trying as one person to get around all these
technologies is quite a task. Not many people can do it.

So the expression possible on the web is limited by one's technical
expertise. Sadly, most web sites are built by teams with the usual
minimalist mingling among the players. It isn't uncommon for a
commercial web site to be subcontracted much like a building: with the
graphic artist never meeting the HTML coder, never mind the database
manager.

There is a real study in contrast between two web sites of major
manufacturers. When you have a chance compare Microsoft's and Apple's
main web sites:

http://www.microsoft.com/
http://www.apple.com/

It is well worth thinking about why these sites are so different and what
image the two companies are trying to express through their respective
sites.

Peace, Edouard

P.S.
>I like the idea of a Web Ring on activity theory and related approaches.
>Most of the Rings I've come across on the web seem to be for pornography
>sites, but maybe that's just because there are a LOT of those! (BTW,
>pornography is not a pejorative in my usage.)

Perhaps of small consolation to most on this list, but another area where
web rings are popular is in religious circles. At least for Catholics,
it is a way to establish that sense of community that the rigid church
hierarchy unintentionally impedes.

============================================
Edouard Lagache, PhD
Webmaster - Lecturer
Information Technologies
U.C. San Diego, Division of Extended Studies
Voice: (619) 622-5758, FAX: (619) 622-5742
email: elagache who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu