Technology/File systems/Gopher, (sdf.org), 02/26/2019
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This is a long post. I don't have to warn you because: 1)
you're using VF-1 to browse gopher and the entirety of this
post has already scrolled past; and, 2) you know that I'm
verbose.
***
Do you deal much with non-technical folk? This is gopher,
and the majority of us gopher users are also gopher
creators, versed at least somewhat in the basics of modern
(or semi-modern) computing. At least, that's how I see
things. It's probably somewhat universal that we all deal
with people in our daily lives who are not as techincal as
we are, ranging from the entirely befuddled to the somewhat
tech-savvy. It's about these people, and their relationship
to gopher, that I was thinking this morning.
First and foremost, let's admit that 99.99% of the computer-
using population out there has no idea what gopher is, and
that almost as many would have little or no interest in it
even if they did know what it was. Let's talk about those
two points a bit.
## On Having No Idea What Gopher Is
There are innumerable things that we're not aware of. For
most humans, gopher is in that long list. It's not their
fault, and it's not that big of a deal, it's simply a fact.
The widespread amensia of ancient tech is inevitable; the
trajectory of modern computing doesn't leave room for
nostalgia except as a hobby. In our forward-looking,
appeal-to-novelty, consumerism-driven world, it's not worth
any amount to risk letting purchasers feel that they can
stick with what they've got- something newer and better must
always fill the 360deg horizon.
And so most humans don't have, and will never have, any idea
what gopher is. The non-technical are particularly prone to
suffering this abysmal fate, as they lack the knowledge and
skill that are required to really particpate. There is one
bit of knowledge and skill in particular that crushes all
hope, which I'll touch on shortly.
## On the Potential for Interest in Gopher
If you're here in gopherspace, _you_ are one of the few that
can see the value of gopher. Your interest and use stems
from what you've encountered here. I'm reading your mind as
I type this, and I know that you're in gopherspace because
you understand that it rocks.
The _other_ humans-the ones that aren't here and have no
hope of ever getting here- will never see the value of
gopher. The reason that their potential is so limited in
this thing is that they lack a particluar bit of knowledge
and skill that is absolutely required to appreciate and
understand gopher.
## That Bit of Knowledge and Skill That I Keep Talking About
The first consumer OS that purposefully obfuscated the
file system was PalmOS (please, please email me with any
evidence of earlier consumer OSes that did this!) Prior to
PalmOS, it was fundamentally necessary for a user of any
consumer OS to understand the structure of their file
system. This was true of CP/M, DOS, System*, Windows, and
MacOS, and many others. PalmOS dumbed-down the computing
experience, so that using a consumer-grade computer really
only required that you understand how to hold a stick and
poke it at things. Realistically, you also needed to know
how to read.
PalmOS, as you know, was wildly and rapidly successful. On
its heels, I feel, came iOS, the iPod Touch, and the iPhone.
These were the second consumer-grade computing devices that
purposefully obfuscated the file system. No longer would you
need to understand, organize, and manage a structure of
files and folders; with iOS, files were by-and-large
connected to the application that created them. With iOS,
you didn't even need to know how to hold a stick; it was
sufficient that you knew how to poke. Reading was also no
longer required with iOS, and the world of computing opened
its doors wide to humans of all ages and capacities.
Gopher, by its very nature, requires that you understand the
basic principles of a modern file system. Re-read the Intro
to RFC 1436 with the above thoughts in mind. Here's an
applicable paragraph so you don't have to search Veronica:
"While documents (and services) reside on many servers,
Gopher client software presents users with a hierarchy of
items and directories much like a file system. The Gopher
interface is designed to resemble a file system since a file
system is a good model for organizing documents and
services; the user sees what amounts to one big networked
information system containing primarily document items,
directory items, and search items (the latter allowing
searches for documents across subsets of the information
base)."
Just for fun, let's re-write the above as if it were an app
description in a modern app store-without stripping it of
the fundamental file system references- and try to
imagine if most of the users out there would understand it
at all:
"This Gopher App gives you easy access to the hierarchy of
files and folders on a variety of interesting file systems
around the globe! It provides a clean and simple interface
to the best model for organizing documents and services;
the file system. You'll be intstantly connected to
directories, documents, services, and more, with the ability
to search portions of that information! Download and
install today, and remember that your feedback is important
to us! App contains ads, but Gopher does not. Permissions
required."
My experience with humanity tells me that most app store
browser's eyes will glaze over starting at the word
"hierarchy." Without knowledge of and skill in file systems,
gopher is a difficult sell. Modern, consumer-grade-computer
users (including users of mobile computing devices, which I
still call computers) do not understand file systems.
## Anecdotal Evidence Supporting My Position
I made a wild and unsubstantiated claim in the last sentence
concerning the leaden state of the modern computer-user's
mind; namely, that they don't understand file systems. I
don't have any research to support this claim, so I'll at
least provide a few stories that I've gathered over the
years. These stories come from friends, family,
acquaintances, and from professional life as a "technical
person" of miscellaneous titles.
*The "Full Desktop" Guy*
You pause the episode of Hoarders that you're streaming to
go help a co-worker. As you enter his cubicle, the sight
that greets you reminds you that truth really is stranger
than fiction; you push aside piles of his accumlated junk
in order to access his keyboard, and press CTRL to wake
his laptop.
Instantly you are visually assulted by a Windows Desktop
littered with icons of every variety; a jumbled mess of
files, folders, and launchers, covering every parsed-out
slot from left-to-right, top-to-bottom. You cough
uncomfortably and shift in your seat.
You curse Bill Gates for enabling your co-worker, and
think to yourself, "Why doesn't my co-worker organize his
files???"
It takes you years to realize the answer: He doesn't even
know what a file or a folder is.
*The "Can't Find It" Person*
(The person in this story is without specific gender,
because computer users can be of any gender, and computer
idiots can too.)
The phone rings. You steel yourself and lift the receiver.
You: "Hi, this is <tech specialist name here>."
Them: "Yes, I'm having some trouble with your software."
You: "I'm sorry to hear that, but I'd be happy to help.
What kind of trouble are you having?"
Them: "It's really a pain in the neck, I've been trying
to figure this out all morning. I'm about to pull
my hair out!"
You: "Oh, that's terrible. I'm sure we can get you going.
What's the trouble?"
(The user continues on a very vague but winded explanation
of the various trinkety things they've attempted. You tune
it out and browse gopher while you wait politely for them to
finish.)
You: "Well, I'm sure we can get things straightened out.
What is the actual problem?"
Them: "Your software won't open my file."
You: "Really? What kind of error message is it giving
you?"
Them: "Well, I go to open it, and it's not there."
(Comphrenesion's light, which dawned when you first picked
up the phone, now breaks forth in full splendor on your
weary soul. You now know how to cut this call as short as
possible.)
You: "Oh, you mean you can't find the file?"
Them: (frustrated) "I saved it here, but your software
isn't showing it."
You: "Where did you save it?"
Them: "It's always in the same place. I didn't move it!"
You: "Ok. Where is it saved on your PC? Can you browse to
it with file explorer?"
Them: "What do you mean?"
You: "See the Windows logo at the bottom-left of your
screen?"
Them: "Umm.... uh... yes, there, there it is."
You: "Click that. No go to 'This PC' or 'Computer' or
'My Computer' or however it's listed for you.
Them: (Silence, interspersed with clicking, sighs, and
frustrated grunts.)
You: "Just let me know when that loads."
Them: "Ok. I'm there."
You: "Now on the left, you should see something like
'Documents' or 'My Documents.' Do you see that?
Them: "Uh huh."
You: "Click that. Now, do you see some of your files
there?"
Them: "Wow! There they are!"
You: "Can you scroll through that list and locate the
file you're looking for?"
Them: "Yes, here it is! Why was it lost in your software?"
You: "Well, if you go to File>Open in our software, you
can browse to your file like you did just now."
Them: "Where is File Open?"
You: "Don't worry about it. You can just double-click the
file, and it'll show up next time in your recent
files, when you start the software."
(The caller showers you with praise for your prowess and
you wrap up the call.)
Like so many callers before them, you realize that the
real issue is that they don't understand what files and
folders and file systems are.
*The Full-Memory Card User*
One day, as you're busily typing away in a console, your
co-worker approaches you with camera in-hand and a
confused look on their face. The expensive Canon DSLR that
they're holding isn't a reflection of their capability as
a photographer, but of their budget. They deadpan the
problem in a few words without making eye contact.
"It says the memory card is full."
You stop typing and turn to them. They eventually stop
fiddling with the camera and look at you.
"Why don't you empty it?"
They look uncomfortable with the suggestion and continue
the discussion a bit, finally giving up and walking away
mumbling something about buying a newer, larger memory
card. It's not until later in the day that you realize
that they didn't understand that they could *copy* the
files off the memory card and *on* to their computer,
losing nothing and freeing up the space on the card to
be re-used. They thought you were suggesting that they
simply erase all of their pictures and start over. What
a cad they must have thought you!
Your co-worker can point-and-shoot in auto mode, but they
don't know the first thing about the files that are on
their camera's memory card, or about file systems in
general.
These are just a few vignettes, my experiences with people
that don't understand file systems are numerous. The
potential for a relationship with gopher among these types
of people is so slim as to be practically non-existant.
Modern computing is profit-driven, not so much in the
computing hardware or software itself as in the platforms
for advertising and spending. Therefore, in my view, newer
systems will be more and more abstracted from their
technical underworkings, and users will become even more
incapable of understanding fundamental principles than they
already are.
This is, of course, a bitterly sorrowful situation. Gopher
has great potential, and a fair amount of wondeful content.
It's a bastion for interesting ideas, and a refuge for weary
web wanderers. It is refreshing, immersive, and peaceful. I
wish that everyone could benefit from it. I wish that
everyone could participate without it becoming a cespool-
clone of the web.
But, wishes are not fishes. It may be that all I ought to
wish for, and push, is that people might understand what
computers really are, and take some time to learn what file
systems are and how they work. A world with more of that
knowledge might just be a better place.
