The virtual community? The word virtual does not mean "virtue." It means "not." When I go to the store and they say: The shirt that you brought in is virtually done. It means it is not done, in the same way that the virtual community is not a community. There is no commitment there. When you log off, you are not a member of it anymore. My flesh and blood community, the sense of knowing my neighbor, knowing the guy across the street, having dinner with the people down the block, getting along with each other and making compromises, that's a genuine community with a commitment.
Clifford StollIf we built houses the way we build software, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization.
Clifford StollThe Internet has no such organization - files are made available at random locations. To search through this chaos, we need smart tools, programs that find resources for us.
Clifford StollCall me a troglodyte; I'd rather peruse those photos alongside my sweetheart, catch the newspaper on the way to work, and page thorough a real book.
Clifford Stoll