Xref: utzoo alt.hypertext:832 comp.graphics:17110 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!uunet!cimshop!davidm From: cimshop!davidm@uunet.UU.NET (David S. Masterson) Newsgroups: alt.hypertext,comp.graphics Subject: Re: Images vs. Text Message-ID: Date: 8 Apr 91 05:27:43 GMT References: <10292@pitt.UUCP> <1991Apr3.031013.27762@watserv1.waterloo.edu> <1991Apr03.152708.147@convex.com> Sender: davidm@cimshop.UUCP Distribution: alt Organization: Consilium Inc., Mountain View, California Lines: 41 In-reply-to: hultquis@nas.nasa.gov's message of 4 Apr 91 22:03:55 GMT >>>>> On 4 Apr 91 22:03:55 GMT, hultquis@nas.nasa.gov (Jeff P. M. Hultquist) >>>>> said: Sneaky> Yes, this makes sense. I can process an image IN PARALLEL. I can see a Sneaky> picture of a horse and immediately I know it is a horse. Peter> Yes, and that's very nice. But what does the picture _mean_? "Rent Peter> your horse here"? "Horse crossing"? "Don't forget to feed the horse"? Peter> "The horse is a large quadruped ruminant mammal"? davidm> Of course this depends on the representation of the horse in the davidm> picture and the context around the picture. For instance: davidm> ... davidm> 4. This one shows the problem with language because I don't have any davidm> context for the word "ruminant" (I didn't look it up). I think an davidm> intelligently designed picture would convey the meaning to me. Jeff> I find it difficult to believe that the power of text can be ever Jeff> approached by 'point-and-grunt' user interfaces. Text gives us the Jeff> power to develop and name abstract concepts; icons don't do this so Jeff> well. Ah, but you're only thinking in terms of an iconic language. Is this all there is to a hypermedia language? Also, no one is going to understand all abstractions no matter how it is explained to them. Even in textual languages, we rely on things called "dictionary", "thesaurus", "encyclopedia", and so on when there are terms we don't understand. Nothing says that like concepts could not exist in other languages (like an iconic language). Also, remember how you learn a new language. You start by relating what you perceive as concepts in the new language to like concepts in some language you know. Eventually, though, you replace the reliance on the old language by directly working in the new language. Is there anything that says you can only do this with written/spoken languages? -- ==================================================================== David Masterson Consilium, Inc. (415) 691-6311 640 Clyde Ct. uunet!cimshop!davidm Mtn. View, CA 94043 ==================================================================== "If someone thinks they know what I said, then I didn't say it!"