--- In qalam@yahoogroups.com, Michael Everson <everson@...> wrote:

> At 21:06 +0000 2005-09-02, suzmccarth wrote:
>
> >At the risk of sounding pretty thick - why would I ever type http
> >thingamy thingamy I am sure I never have.
>
> You get a business card. It has such an address on it. You type it

in.

But do you have to type the http part? I didn't know that. I heard
someone else teasing a prof about how she always uses google instead
of the URL. I said "URL?" Then I tried out the expression 'URL' at
school and the teachers said "Get lost - don't give us any computer
jargon." Really! It is far more important to understand the
difference between a GIF and a TTF, that information is essential.
But that doesn't require the typical alphabetic literacy.

> Many people in this world are not as limited as your principal may
> be. Lots of people use URLs, and if you don't, well, I'm sure
>you're
> in the minority.

Anyway, if a URL was important we used to stick it on the wall above
the computer. You could copy it letter for letter, by its visual
shape, glyph, whatever. But not the http bit - it just pops up on
its own, unbidden. Then we made our website and put all the links on
that. If it isn't already on our website and you can't google it,
then it might as well not exist.

This is quite a fascinating discussion - I always thought I was
pretty normal in the computer realm, for a non technical person.

Suzanne