Re: Web vs. web?

[Michael Lewis <lewism -at- BRANDLE -dot- COM -dot- AU>]

What's happening here is, subliminally, a distinction between "the Web"
and "a web". "Publishing to (or on) the Web" means making the document
available via the WWW; "dynamic web reports" can be published to (or on)
the Web or your local intraweb; the technology in the document is the
same either way. (I'll not buy into the question of how many I/internets
there are ... except that, if it's capitalised, then it's the one we all
use; if it ain't, then it's architecturally cognate but a different,
smaller thing.)

BTW, is publishing on the Web the same as publishing to the Web? I think
not. Publishing *to* the Web refers to the process of uploading;
publishing *on* the Web refers to use of the Web as a distribution
medium.

Jeanne A. E. DeVoto wrote:
>
> At 2:03 PM -0800 4/1/98, Susan Kocher wrote:
> >Has a consensus been reached in our profession regarding the way to
> >use "web" or "Web" to refer to the World Wide Web, to webs in general?
> >Or how about internet/Internet?
> >[...]
> >So, what say you, fellow whirlers? We want to come up with a policy that
> >is simple to implement for writers and editors. Leaving ALL of the
> >references to "Web" as they are above seems unsatisfactory; and yet
> >changing them all to "web" seems equally wrong.
>
> My rule of thumb: when it's a proper noun, use the capital (or the acronym
> WWW):
>       -- publish reports to [or better, "on"] the Web
>       -- publish reports to the WWW
>       -- extend SAS Software to the Web
>       -- extend SAS Software to the WWW
>
> and when it's used as an adjective, omit the capitalization:
>      -- build interactive web applications
>      -- create dynamic web reports
>      Experience with HTML, web servers, and general web technology
>      is helpful. For additional details about SAS web technology, check
>      out our web page at http://www....html
>
> This seems to me to be both sensible and conformant with common usage.
>
> >And while we're at it, does there seem
> >to be general agreement that "internet" is now such a generic term that
> >it should be treated as such, i.e. not be capitalized?
>
> If you do that, then what new term will you coin for what's currently
> referred to as an internet? The words "Internet" and "internet" do not mean
> the same thing.
>
> --
> jeanne a. e. devoto ~ jaed -at- best -dot- com
> http://www.best.com/~jaed/
> Morning people may be respected, but night people are feared.
>

--
Michael Lewis
Brandle Pty Limited, Sydney, Australia
PO Box 1249, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012
Suite 8, The Watertower, 1 Marian St, Redfern 2016
http://www.brandle.com.au/~lewism
Tel +61-2-9310-2224 ... Fax +61-2-9310-5056