Virtuality (software design)
Encyclopedia
Virtuality is a term used by Ted Nelson
for what he considers the central issues of software design
. "Virtuality" refers to the seeming of anything, as opposed to its reality. (This has been the dictionary meaning of "virtuality" since at least the 18th century). Everything has a reality and a virtuality. Nelson divides virtuality into two parts: conceptual structure and feel. In every field these have different roles. The conceptual structure of all cars are the same, but the conceptual structure of every movie is different. The reality of a car is important, but the reality of a movie is unimportant—how a shot was made is of interest only to movie buffs.
The feel of software, like the feel of a car, is a matter of late-stage fine-tuning (if it is worked on at all). But Nelson regards the design of software conceptual structure—the constructs we imagine as we sit at the screen—as the center of the computer field. However, the conceptual structure of almost all software has been determined by what Nelson calls the PARC User Interface, or PUI, on which Windows, Macintosh and Linux are all based. The feel is only icing on top of that.
In relation to new media, Woolgar (2002) has proposed 'five rules of virtuality'" that are drawn from in-depth research in the UK on uses of the so called 'New Media' (Flew, 2008):
Ted Nelson
Theodor Holm Nelson is an American sociologist, philosopher, and pioneer of information technology. He coined the terms "hypertext" and "hypermedia" in 1963 and published it in 1965...
for what he considers the central issues of software design
Software design
Software design is a process of problem solving and planning for a software solution. After the purpose and specifications of software are determined, software developers will design or employ designers to develop a plan for a solution...
. "Virtuality" refers to the seeming of anything, as opposed to its reality. (This has been the dictionary meaning of "virtuality" since at least the 18th century). Everything has a reality and a virtuality. Nelson divides virtuality into two parts: conceptual structure and feel. In every field these have different roles. The conceptual structure of all cars are the same, but the conceptual structure of every movie is different. The reality of a car is important, but the reality of a movie is unimportant—how a shot was made is of interest only to movie buffs.
The feel of software, like the feel of a car, is a matter of late-stage fine-tuning (if it is worked on at all). But Nelson regards the design of software conceptual structure—the constructs we imagine as we sit at the screen—as the center of the computer field. However, the conceptual structure of almost all software has been determined by what Nelson calls the PARC User Interface, or PUI, on which Windows, Macintosh and Linux are all based. The feel is only icing on top of that.
In relation to new media, Woolgar (2002) has proposed 'five rules of virtuality'" that are drawn from in-depth research in the UK on uses of the so called 'New Media' (Flew, 2008):
- Both the uptake and uses of new media are critically dependent on the non-ICT-related contexts in which people are situated (gender, age, employment, income, education, nationality).
- Fears and risks associated with new media are unevenly socially distributed, particularly in relation to security and surveillance.
- CMC-mediated or 'virtual' interactions supplement rather than substitute for 'real' activities.
- The introduction of more scope for 'virtual' interaction acts as a stimulus for more face-to-face or 'real' interaction.
- The capacity of 'virtual' communication to promote globalization throughout communication that is spatially disembedded encourages, perhaps paradoxically, new forms of 'localism' and the embedding, rather than the transcendence, of identities grounded in a sense of place, belief, experience, or practice.
Further reading
- Cyberspace and Human Nature, Howard Rheingold. 1991
- New Media an introduction (3rd Edition), terry Flew. 2008
External links
- Web Studies, and other new media studies resources
- http://vos.ucsb.edu VoS: Voice of the Shuttle]