Abstract
Computers are not easy to understand. Even a computer scientist who devotes full time to the field cannot hope to fully comprehend the capabilities, limitations, applications, and implications of these machines. Joseph Weizenbaum, in his recent book
There are many possible computer metaphors. Weizenbaum makes the point that many people have accepted one particular computer metaphor, and that it is a particularly misleading one. Computer scientists think of a computer as a machine that can carry out an effective procedure. The words procedure and effective procedure have meaning to non-computer scientists. They can see that humans carry out procedures, or that many activities of humans can be thought of as execution of effective procedures. The effective procedure computer metaphor thus leads to the belief that humans and computers are quite similar in their capabilities and in the way they solve problems.
- 1 Weizenbaum, Joseph: Computer Power and Human Reason, W. H. Fr-eman and Company, 1976. Google Scholar
Digital Library
Index Terms
Calculator metaphors, and goals for calculator education in elementary schools
Recommendations
Calculator metaphors, and goals for calculator education in elementary schools
SIGCSE '77: Proceedings of the seventh SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science educationComputers are not easy to understand. Even a computer scientist who devotes full time to the field cannot hope to fully comprehend the capabilities, limitations, applications, and implications of these machines. Joseph Weizenbaum, in his recent book ...
Metaphors be with you! (Metaphor System)
ADC '05: Proceedings of the Agile Development ConferenceThe original formulation of XP promoted metaphor to the status of essential practice. XP was the only agile method that made the use of metaphor this explicit and essentialunique. Unique: and immediately controversial. Few practitioners claimed to ...
Elastic metaphors: expanding the philosophy of interface design
CRPIT '03: Selected papers from conference on Computers and philosophy - Volume 37Metaphors are generally accepted as essential to the design of effective human computer interfaces. However, "The generally assumed theoretical benefits of user interface metaphor are supported by surprisingly little empirical evidence." (Blackwell, ...






Comments