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I was on the phone with a friend and somehow we got on the topic of strange questions to ponder, when she asked "Why is it called Surfing the Web?" Wouldnt you "crawl" a web instead of "surfing" one? I got to thinking about this, and I've been wondering about it all evening. Does anyone else have any theories or actual proof of how the phrase "Surfing the Web" was coined or why its called "surfing"?
I was told it was coined by a librarian who had a mousepad with a surfer or surfing scene on it....something like that. It's been a while since I heard the story.
EDIT: Here is a site about her. Jean Armour Polly
Allow me search it for you, here it is...
Mathgirl32 is right, Jean Armour Polly is credited with inventing the phrase "surfing the Internet". Read her interview.Quote:
surf - a whatis definition
In using the World Wide Web, to surf is to either:
1) Explore a sequence of Web sites in a random, unplanned way, or
2) Simply use the Web to look for something in a questing way.
As the term is ordinarily used, if you are going to one specific site you already know about, you aren't surfing. The term suggests an analogy between surfing ocean waves with a surfboard and surfing cyberspace.
Peace always,
<jdenny>
blah its just a damned saying! just like "A penny for your thoughts" but you have to put your "Two cents in" someones gaining a penny! -steven or stephen wright
The term "Surfing the Web" reminds me to a sci-fi novel written 1975 by John Brunner titled "The Shockwave Rider".
It's the story of the Superhacker Nick, who in fight with a cruel government repeatedly changes his idendity.
May be that this is not the reason why it is called "Surfing the Web", but I think it has been a remarkable vision almost 30 years ago.
It definitely has to with the fact that silicon valley is in california.
Everyone surfs there.
Period.
;)
Kinda on "tv surfing"
Like when you flip from web page to webpage, its called channel surfing... same deal with websites :)
yes, i was surfing the TV channels long before i learned how to type... of course now i don't even own a TV (it's against my religion)... anyway- take it easy :DQuote:
Originally posted here by King of CaveMen
Kinda on "tv surfing"
Like when you flip from web page to webpage, its called channel surfing... same deal with websites :)
and they do call it crawling (when you refer to a Spider/App)
Or like 'spending a penny'. Is this the same penny one might use to buy your thoughts ? :p
Quote:
Originally posted here by er0k
blah its just a damned saying! just like "A penny for your thoughts" but you have to put your "Two cents in" someones gaining a penny! -steven or stephen wright